


A Dragon Tamer and a Mage Walk into a Mountain

by Bearandbunny



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Hilarity, Hilarity Ensues, Mage, Magic, Nothing explicit, Original Characters - Freeform, Romance, Sex hinting, a little smut, dragon tamer, tiny dragon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-01
Updated: 2016-07-31
Packaged: 2018-05-30 10:49:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6420820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bearandbunny/pseuds/Bearandbunny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hadley and Tabitha were just trying to meditate. Suddenly they find themselves whisked away to adventure with powers they cannot even begin to understand. As they accompany the dwarves across Middle Earth things get complicated... And hilarious.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. This could only end well

**Author's Note:**

> Meditating on a stormy night with the Hobbit on in the background seemed like a great idea. What could go wrong?

The roll of thunder echoed through the apartment as Tabitha and Hadley settled into their respective seats "Are you sure about this? I mean I have enough trouble focusing without the Hobbit playing in the background"  
  
Tabitha grinned at her purple haired companion "Dude, relax, this is gonna be awesome! We can meditate into Middle Earth"  
  
"Really?!"  
  
"No not like REALLY really but like it'll FEEL like we're there"  
  
"That doesn't sound as fun"  
  
"Well, when I figure out how to ACTUALLY get there, we'll go. Until then, we do this"  
  
"Alright, well let's do this"  
  
The two young women leaned into their postions, slowly letting their bodies relax. Sitting side by side the differences between them were obvious. The strawberry blonde sat almost half a foot taller and an entire width thicker than her delicate violet haired counterpart. The smaller of the two, Hadley, had a delicate pixie-esque face with high round cheeks and large chocolate hazel eyes full of excitement and innocence. The larger, Tabitha, had a rounder face that was almost childlike yet her gold flecked blue eyes held a certain strength of character obvious upon first glance. The two were starkly opposite and yet seemed to fit together like mirrored puzzle pieces. The fastest of friends and witch sisters in a coven of only themselves.  
  
Hadley was the first to notice that something was not quite right around them. She felt the world spinning almost too slowly to notice. When Tabitha realized something was wrong, it was the feeling of a gentle breeze flowing through their enclosed apartment. Hadley spoke up first,  
  
"Uh... Tabby?"  
  
"Yeh, I feel it too"  
  
"Should we open our eyes now?"  
  
".... uh.... maybe?"  
  
"I'm scared"  
  
"You're gonna make me scared, stop"  
  
Hadley opened her eyes and looked around. As her eyes were met with a familiar but unexpected sight, she called out,  
  
"Uhhhh.... Tabby.... we're not in Kansas anymore"  
  
Tabitha opened her eyes and looked around, momentarily unable to process what she was seeing. They were seated together on a large silver and blue trimmed bed. A pale blue translucent canopy danced between them and the rest of the bright stone room. Bookshelves lined the walls. Rather than saying the room had large windows, it would have been more accurate to say that there were small sections of wall between the large open end of the room. From the bed they could see a huge courtyard and beyond, stone walls rising up higher than they could see. The sound of waterfalls and babbling streams surrounded them as well as soft voices speaking in a tongue they could not understand. Tabitha rose first, though she stopped and looked down when she felt a breeze on her calves. She had been wearing jeans when she closed her eyes.... right? There were no jeans. Only a knee-length dress with an asymmetrical layered skirt and a corset that embellished her already blatant endowment. Her feet were bare but around her ankles were thin leather cords with feathers dangling against her heels. She reached to put her hands on her hips but bumped against metal on her right side. She jerked her hand back and looked down to find a short, thick sword sheathed at her hip.  
  
Before she had a chance to react to the discovery of the weapon, the sound of something hitting the floor made her jump and spin. Hadley lay face down on the stone in a long, flowing silver and white gown. Tabby grinned and chirped at her,  
  
"Wow, if only you were as graceful as your dress suggested, milady"  
  
"Shut the fuck up" Hadley growled in repsonse as she lifted her face towards her companion. Her long hair fell around her ears as she did, revealing to her companion the newly sprouted points at the tips.  
  
"You're an elf...."  
  
Hadley reached up hesitantly to feel her ears. Her eyes widened at the confirmation of Tabitha's statement,  
  
"OH MY GOD!"  
  
"Hadley"  
  
"I'M AN ELF!"  
  
"Hadley!"  
  
"DUDE I'M AN ELF"  
  
"HADLEY SHUT UP!"  
  
".... How. Rude!"  
  
Tabitha reached to her side, barely registering the tiny circular shield on her arm as she drew the sword from its sheathe,  
  
"Hadley!"  
  
She pointed the blade behind her now elven friend as a small reptile skittered across the floor towards her. It shone black in the sunlight and stopped when it saw the cold shine of the blade,  
  
"Blade!" its voice was a strange combination of a hiss and a squeak as it continued "Mama! Blade!" it skittered towards Hadley crying out "Mama!" over and over again until it was nestled into her chest.  
  
Hadley gasped softly "Baby dragon.... talking baby dragon.... Tabby.... TALKING BABY DRAGON!" and she clung to it, pulling it into her chest and squealing happily.  
  
Tabitha sighed softly and slowly resheathed the blade "Hadley.... you're going to give me an aneurism"  
  
Hadley chuckled "When don't I?"  
  
With another sigh and a glance around, Tabitha replied "We need to figure out where we are and what to do next, Hady. Why don't you stay here with the baby dragon and I'll go see what I can find out"  
  
"Name not baby dragon! Name is Gostir!"  
  
"Oh! My apologies, Gostir"  
  
Hadley looked up to Tabitha and replied,  
  
"But what if I don't wanna stay here?"  
  
Tabitha shook the arm with the shield on it and replied "I'm armed. If anything happens I can defend myself but I don't know that I could protect you as well. We're in Middle Earth, Hady. This ain't Tennessee, honey. It's dangerous here"  
Hadley let out a frustrated sigh and pouted as she replied "Eeeeeh, yeah yeah. And I'm about as intimidating as a blade of grass"  
  
The small black serpent squeaked up "Gostir protect! Gostir strong!"  
  
Tabitha looked at the tiny dragon with a raised eyebrow "Yes, Master Dragon, protect Hadley here. Keep her safe while I go figure things out"  
  
Without another word, Tabitha turned and made her way out of the room. She moved slowly and quietly over the stone walkway, her head moving to and fro as she scanned the area. Even though she tried to remain on guard, she was completely overwhelmed by the beauty of the valley. Soon she was no longer scanning and merely wandering carelessly across a large bridge. As she looked across to the rumbling waterfall on the rockface, a deep voice behind her called out,  
  
"And how does a young mage find herself in the Valley of Imladris"  
  
Tabitha whirled and drew her sword, ashamed that she had let her guard fall as far as it had. The tall dark-haired elf raise one of his sharp-high brows and almost smirked,  
  
"A bit late to draw your sword, is it not? Had I wished you harm, you would be harmed"  
  
Tabitha slowly lowered her sword, her face heated in embarassment. The elf strode idly towards her and continued,  
  
"But you are no ordinary mage, are you? In fact, you do not seem to be a mage at all. And yet I sense within you great power. How did you find yourself here?"  
  
".... Suddenly and with no intention"  
  
To this, the elf king Elrond chuckled softly "Well put. You are one out of place and out of time. What is your name, woman?"  
  
"Tabitha. I have come here with a friend. An elf maid. She has a... dragon? He appeared when we awoke here"  
  
Elrond tilted his head slightly "A dragon tamer? In this age? Strange happenings indeed. Where is the tamer now?"  
  
Tabitha looked around for a moment and replied "Um... That way? I think... I ... CRAP I LOST HADLEY!"  
  
Elrond jumped at the sudden outburst, offering the woman a scandalized look. He stared at her for a moment as she began spinning in circles and muttering to herself, awaiting any more outbursts before he replied "You are a mage... can you not simply track her?"  
  
Tabitha stopped and turned "I'm a who now?"  
  
Elrond stared at her for a moment "A mage. A human who can command the forces of magick to do as they will"  
Tabitha blinked and looked around "Who is?"  
  
"You are"  
  
"Am I?"  
  
"Are you not?"  
  
Tabitha muttered under her breath "Who's on first, what's on second, I don't know's on third"  
  
Elrond furrowed his brow in utmost confusion before he replied "I sense the power in you and yet it seems you have not been trained. For now, try to focus on what it is you seek. Focus on it clearly in your mind"  
  
Tabitha blinked at him for a moment and said "What?"  
  
"Do not ask questions. Focus"  
  
Tabitha sighed softly and closed her eyes, picturing Hadley in her head. She could clearly see Hadley curled up in a ball on the bed in the room they had awoken in with the tiny black dragon on her hip. It was sprawled on its back with all four feet in the air and making a purring squeak noise.  
  
A small ethereal wisp bounded into the room, causing Gostir to wake violently and let out a shrill snarl. Hadley started awake to find the formless wisp bouncing in a circle around the room. Each bounce it made a sound like a small string of bells shaking vigorously. As it moved through the air it left a glittering golden light trail behind it. After a few moments, the elf king walked into the room, looking at the elven maid with a gentle smile  
  
"You must be Hadley"  
  
Hadley looked between the hyperactive ether and the elf with a look of pure bewilderment on her face,  
  
"What- th- you- what?!"  
  
Elrond chuckled softly "Come with me, child. I will explain everything"  
  
Hadley looked to Elrond feeling a slight blush creep into her cheeks before hiding it by looking down at Gostir. As she pet his head she repeated,  
  
"It's alright, the wisp isn't going to hurt you"  
  
Once Gostir calmed down and Hadley no longer felt the heat on her cheeks she stood from the bed and strode to stand infront of Elrond. Elrond turned and led her from the room, following the light stream. The wisp followed after Hadley, causing Gostir to hiss at it before slinking underneath Hadley's long hair and glaring out with large green eyes. It was only a few moments before Tabitha came into view. She stood with her eyes closed, the trail of light disappearing into her chest, as if it had burst from her bosom.  
  
Elrond waved a graceful hand towards the human and declared to Hadley,  
  
"Here is the source of the wisp" He turned to face Tabitha and called out "You may open your eyes now, I have found her" When Tabitha's eyes opened, they revealed the gold flecks were glowing brightly and seemed to have grown in size. She still seemed to be unaware of what was happening as the wisp shot from behind Hadley and drove into her chest from whence it came. Slowly, the glow faded from her eyes and Tabby blinked,  
  
"Hadley! Where did you come from?! And Elrond how did you get in front of me?!"  
  
Hadley blinked confusedly "What the damn hell just happened to you?! Your eyes were friggin' GLOWING"  
  
Tabitha blinked and was about to speak when Elrond cut in,  
  
"Come with me, girls. I have much to explain to you of your place in this world. And I have one who may be able to help"  
  
The two exchanged worried looks before following after the elf king. Before long, they found themselves before the doors of the Last Homely House. They followed Elrond into the house and up several stairs. Hadley made the occasional displeased noise when they would turn and find themselves before yet more stairs. Tabitha just chuckled softly and seemed to enjoy the walk. Finally, they found themselves on a porch which led to another set of stairs. Atop these stairs stood a tall feminine form with long flowing golden hair. Before anyone else could say anything, Tabitha breathed out,  
  
"Galadriel"  
  
The elven queen turned to face the two girls with a graceful smile adorning her gently glowing features. She did not speak, though each girl heard her voice in their head.  
  
"Welcome, travellers from another world. You have come very far for ones so young"  
  
The girls exchanged looks as Elrond spoke,  
  
"You know of the Queen of Lorien. She has been summoned for a council, however I feel she will be the best to guide the tamer elf in the ways of wild magicks"  
  
Hadley looked over at Galadriel in awe and admiration as she began to move towards her. Elrond continued,  
  
"You each have had great power bestowed onto you. Whether it is because you are not of this world or simply because of who you are remains to be seen. However, you will both need to be taught how to control the powers you now bear. I will personally oversee the training of the mage. Your magick is of the mind and will"  
  
Tabitha looked up at him as she tried to slowly pull apart his words to understand their full meaning. Galadriel spoke to Hadley as the silence fell,  
  
"And you, tamer of dragons, your power comes from your heart and your love of all things living. I will teach you how to speak to all things as well as understand them. You will be able to bend not only beast but tree and man to your will as well"  
  
Hadley gaped at the lady of Lorien, speechless at the sheer magnitude of what she was promising. Elrond spoke again,  
  
"Your training will begin in the morning. Tonight you will rest and eat. You must be very hungry"  
  
As if on cue Hadley's stomache gave a loud squeaking growl, causing Gostir to peek out of her hair and down at her stomach curiously. Tabitha bowed lowly and responded,  
  
"Master Elrond, Lady Galadriel, we cannot begin to express our gratitude for your hospitality and kindness. Thank you"  
  
Galadriel smiled a bit wider and Elrond chuckled and waved a hand "Come, I will show you to your rooms so that you may rest and become accustomed to your new accomodations"  
  
The girls followed Elrond once more. This time he led them to a hallway full of doors. He opened one to reveal a large open room with large windows next to a massive oak tree. The room itself was decorated in shades of gold and crimson. Several bookshelves lined with more books than could be counted lined the walls,  
  
"Tabitha, this shall be your room"  
  
He opened the door next to it to reveal an equally sized room decorated in silver and blue. This room had several plants and flowers strewn about it as well as a flower planter filled with a bright red rose bush lining the large window that overlooked a massive garden beyond the oak tree,  
  
"And for Hadley" he looked between the two with a critical look and added "I trust that the two of you will behave yourselves being roomed so closely together"  
  
Tabitha and Hadley looked at each other before responding simultaneously,  
  
"Probably not"  
  
Elrond could not contain his laughter as he said "I thought as much" he bowed to them both and said "Then I shall take my leave. Someone will come by soon with food. If you need me, you may find me in my study. Good evening, girls" and with that he turned and glided away.  
  
Tabitha looked over at Hadley to find her eyes glued to Elrond. She grinned and said "He has a daughter that is at least three times your age, honey. I think he's a LITTLE too old for you"  
  
".... Shut up, Tabitha"  
  
Tabitha puckered her lips at Hadley and made loud smacking noises with her mouth. Hadley dropped her face into the palm of her hand and turned a vibrant shade of red. Tabitha just giggled for a bit before the mirth slowly faded from her expression,  
  
"In all seriousness, Hady, don't get too attached. We have no idea if we're going to be staying here. Or how long. Hell, we don't even really know if this is real"  
  
"I know that... that doesn't mean I can't look"  
  
".... Agreed. Wanna come to my room and read with me for a while?"  
  
"Sure... but only if I get the bed. You know I'm probably gonna pass out"  
  
"A'ight. Works for me"  
  
And that was how the girls passed the night. Hadley fell asleep before she finished the first chapter of her book. Tabitha buried herself in the books. After a while, several elves came into the room carrying plates of food, a pitcher of wine, and two goblets. Tabitha thanked them and they bowed silently and left the room. Tabitha attempted to wake Hadley so she could eat, but Hadley and Gostir both almost bit her. So, Tabitha ate her dinner and drank the wine throughout the night. By the time she passed out, there was a decent stack of books sitting next to her chair in the corner. In fact, Tabitha passed out with a book on her face.


	2. Elvish Squiggles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Tabitha's birthday! But with it, comes unexpected guests to the house of Elrond... and maybe more?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of shameless fluff in this chapter. Don't judge me. -Bear

The next few weeks were a complete blur. Tabitha spent most of her time in the library with Elrond. If they weren't studying texts, he was forcing her to perform thought exercises. The one rule that he laid down for her was that she was not allowed to cast any spells without his presence. At least once a day, however, Tabitha would sneak out of the library and run through the fields around the large house. She would dance and sing and roll in the wildflowers with several young elflings.... before Elrond found her. Hadley, on the other hand, spent her days in the gardens with Galadriel. They would talk of all the various types of beast and plant to be found in Middle Earth. Galadriel taught her how to feel the voices of plants and beasts. Gostir helped by teaching Hadley dragon customs, things that dragons are born knowing yet seldom are learned by those outside of dragons. And every so often, Hadley would be trying to speak to a flower only to hear Tabitha making a squeaking voice from behind a nearby tree. This would completely disrupt Hadley's lessons causing her to chase Tabitha away. Though both girls were giddy and enjoyed the games. They would spend each night talking about what they had learned that day. Most nights Hadley would fall asleep in Tabitha's bed while Tabitha read in the chair in the corner, sipping her wine and reading until her eyes could no longer remain open.

                Tabitha giggled as she walked arm in arm with Hadley towards the study,

                "You realize that this means I'm older than you, right?"

                "You've always been older than me"

                "Yes, but from now until August I'm gonna have one digit on you"

                "Shut up. Just because it's your birthday doesn't mean I won't hit you"

                "I'll hit you harder"

                "..... Shut up"

                The girls threw open the doors to find the study completely empty. Tabitha walked around looking around "Elrond? Boss-man?" she peered down a small corridor "Captain five-head?" She turned to Hadley "That one always gets his attention. He must not be here...."

                Hadley looked around "Okay so what now?"

                Tabitha thought for a moment before a sly grin formed on her lips. It was a look that Hadley knew too well,

                "Tabby, no"

                Tabitha turned with an expression of mock injury,

                "I've not said anything yet!"

                "I know that look! Nothing good comes from that look!"

                "Oh come on!"

                "NO! We almost got arrested over that look!"

                "This'll be different! C'mon! Look!"

                She reached and pulled a scroll from one of the stacks of scrolls and unfurled it on a table. The writing on it was elvish script. Hadley looked over it for a moment and declared,

                "What're we gonna do with squiggles?"

                "It's elvish"

                "Okay... what're we gonna do with elvish squiggles?"

                "I can read elvish ya dope!"

                "Well what the hell does it say?!"

                "It's a spell!"

                "Tabby, no!"

                "TABBY YES!"

                Hadley shook her head and facepalmed "I ain't got no dog in that fight but you're gonna get in so much trouble"

                "Well that's what Captain Five-Head gets for forgetting my birthday!"

                "Ugh, fine. What kind of spell is it, anyway?"

                "It's a.... soul guidance spell"

                "Soul guidance?"

                "Yeah... I guess it's supposed to guide my soul to like where it's supposed to be?"

                "And I can't talk you out of this?"

                "NOPE!"

                "Alright then"

                Hadley moved to lean against one of the book cases as Tabitha began to read from the scroll. She closed her eyes and a small ball of energy formed from her chest. Hadley watched as the ball of energy slowly drifted to the ground. The ball of energy shimmered for a moment before it seemed to morph into what looked like some kind of ghost cat.... bird.... thing. It looked like a cat with wings. Hadley stared at it for a moment before it turned to stare back at her. Tabitha slowly opened her eyes and looked down,

                "It worked....."

                "Apparently"

                The spirit cat looked up at Tabitha for a moment and then seemed to turn into a blur as it darted out of the study. The two girls looked at one another for a second before Tabitha cried out "SHIT!" and took off running after the spirit beast. Hadley threw her head back and let out a long sigh "Why did it have to run?!" before following after Tabitha.

 

                Elrond turned and gestured for his dwarven guests to make their way into his home when suddenly a sound like glittering bells came ringing around his feet. Elrond stumbled back and looked down to see a heart beast skittering towards the dwarves. He blinked and watched as the dwarves exploded into a startled frenzy. The beast leapt up onto the shoulders of one of the younger dwarves and began singing happily. It was a tune that Elrond had heard his young apprentice humming as she walked through the halls of his home often and suddenly everything connected. Though, it would have in a short moment when the sound of bare feet against stone and loud panting rang out a good ways behind him along with the muttered words "Running! WHY RUNNING?!"

                Elrond turned as the young mage trotted up to the gathering and skidded to a halt right in front of him when she finally realized he was there. She stood frozen mid-stride and staring straight ahead. Elrond could almost hear the endless string of curses running through her brain as she stood there. All of the dwarves had turned to face the suddenly appearing human and the beast looked at the mage and continued to sing happily. There was a secondary commotion when Elrond was suddenly toppled over next to Tabitha. She leapt up into the air and bounced three steps to the side, staring down at the tangle of elves next to her in shock. Hadley was frozen in mortification, laying on top of Elrond. She was pale as she turned to look at Tabitha with wide eyes and screech "DAMMIT TABBY THIS IS WHY I HATE THAT LOOK!"

                Man, Tabitha could never have guessed how far out that vein on Elrond's neck could poke. He was furious as he pulled himself and Hadley up from the ground. But what scared Tabitha more was how the vein suddenly disappeared and a terrifying calm seemed to settle over the elf lord. He even seemed to be...... smirking? Oh god why?! Why had she let Hadley let her do this?! Hadley appeared behind Tabitha, equally terrified of the elf lord. After a moment, Elrond turned and looked over the dwarves. He called out to the one with the beast on his shoulder "Master dwarf! Would you please step forward?"

                A golden haired dwarf moved out from the rest. He kept glancing at Tabitha, which made her slightly uneasy. The small pink ghost cat seemed to panic - clawing for the dwarf desperately -  as Elrond pulled it off of the dwarf's shoulders and held it out to Tabitha,

                "You should be more careful than to let your heart beast run wild"

                Tabitha reached and took the cat. As soon as her fingers touched it, its form fell away and the energy wrapped around her arms before disappearing into her skin. She looked up at Elrond, still horrified, and quietly muttered out,

                "H-heart beast?"

                "Yes. I offer you my warmest congratulations. It seems you've found your well - for lack of a better word in common tongue- soul mate"

                He placed a hand on the dwarf's shoulder and pushed him forward a step. Tabitha's eyes moved to the dwarf in confusion and terror "What?"

                Elrond smirked and stated as calmly as he could have "The spell you cast was a heart guide spell. You would have known that if you had waited to cast it in my presence. However, it seems you have enough of a grasp of magic to perform it in my absence"

                Tabitha's eyes moved slowly from the dwarf to Elrond, as the dwarf's moved from Tabitha to the elf lord. After a moment she raised an arm in gesture to the dwarf and blurted out "Well obviously not! That's a dwarf!"

                The only sound that could be heard following that was a shrill cackle as Hadley doubled over onto the ground. Tabitha turned and yelled at the she-elf "THAT'S NOT FUNNY!"

                Hadley gasped out between fits of laughter, "YOUR.... YOUR SOULMATE..... IS A DWARF..... AND YOU DON'T.... YOU DON'T DATE SHORT GUYS!!!!!"

                Tabitha buried her face in her hands, though it was obvious that her entire head was a deep red color. It was only another moment before all the dwarves joined Hadley in laughter. Tabitha wondered if it was possible to die of humiliation as she drove her toes stoutly into Hadley's side. There was a pained yelp followed by the strained declaration of "Worth it"

                It was quite a time before the leaders of the group managed to calm the uproarious group of dwarves. In the commotion, Hadley and Tabitha managed to slink away to their own rooms. Hadley buried herself under the sheets of her bed with a pillow over her head. Gostir fluttered overhead squeaking with concern. In the room next door, Tabitha grabbed one of her pillow and buried her face in it, shrieking into it until her voice went hoarse.

                It was several hours before the girls were disturbed. Hadley was the first to have a knock on her door. It was Lindir, a young quiet elf that the girls had only seen around a few times in their stay,

                "Lady Hadley, Master Gandalf and Lady Galadriel have summoned you"

                "Uhhh.... can I not-"

                "It is a mandatory summon"

                "..... Tabitha!"

                Tabitha looked up from her book at the muffled sound of Hadley calling her name. She took a moment to weigh the risk before rising and peeking her head out her door. Hadley looked to her with wide frightened eyes,

                "Come with me"

                "Come where?"

                "Gandalf and Galadriel summoned me"

                "..... Have fun with that"

                "TABBY! THIS WAS YOUR FAULT!"

                "WELL I'M NOT THE ONE THEY CALLED FOR!"

                "Tabby!"

                "..... Ugh. Fiiiiine"

                With that the two girls reluctantly trudged after the elf to a large, moonlit porch. Much to Hadley's dismay, there were three figures standing together. Elrond's eyes fell first on the young purple-haired elf and then onto his apprentice,

                "I recall summoning only the tamer"

                Hadley tried to reply, but could not find her voice. Tabitha looked between the two elves for a moment before piping up,

                "Hadley was afraid that she would be chastised for what happened earlier"

                Elrond raised an eyebrow as he replied, "That is not what this is about. And I am well aware that that incident was entirely your fault"

                Tabitha turned an icy glare towards Hadley before turning

                "Alright, then well since I'm NOT NEEDED HERE"

                Hadley grinned sheepishly and wiggled her fingers at Tabitha before the frustrated mage continued

                "Find me when you're done here. We'll.... talk"

                Hadley nodded and Tabitha turned and slowly made her way away from the gathering.

                Tabitha sighed softly as she made her way through the empty halls of the last homely house. The night breeze was cool and the scent of rain was in the air. Tabitha was so lost in thoughts of how beautiful the night as, she almost didn't realize that there was a fire ahead. But the sound of dwarven laughter quickly snapped her back to reality. As she neared the gathering, she realized the only way to her room would be to pass by them.

                The closer Tabby got to the gathering, the slower and quieter she moved. It wasn't long until she was stopped next to a stone beam, listening to the conversation at hand,

                "- Just too tall"

                "Oh come now! She's quite a stout lass t'be a human!"

                "What'll we ever get him for a wedding present?!"

                "Our little Fili's found himself a WIFE!"

                Uproarious laughter ensued followed by a voice that Tabitha could only assume was Fili,

                "Would you just stop! The lass wouldn't even look at me!"

                Another voice responded "Ah, come brother! I'm sure she was just shy!"

                There was silence for a moment before the voice called out much closer,

                "SEE! Your little tabby cat is too shy to even come join the party!"

                Suddenly, a hand wrapped around Tabitha's wrist and dragged her from her place behind the beam. Cheers rippled through the dwarves as the dark haired dwarf continued to push Tabitha into the throng. Tabitha tried to backpedal away from the scene but the dwarf's grip was too strong. With a great shove, he thrust Tabitha towards the golden haired dwarf. She stumbled forward until she fell straddling his lap. She was barely able to hold herself up off of his face and as she stared into his eyes - red faced and heart racing - she became painfully aware of where his hands were positioned. The dwarf and woman both looked down simultaneously to find his hands pressed flatly against her bosom.

                Tabitha screeched and brought her hand across the dwarf's face as she leapt to her feet. Fili sat stunned, his blue eyes wide with shock and his cheek fading into a bright pink. Silence fell over the entire gathering as they stared at the strange pair. After a moment, Fili turned to face her, a smirk tugging at his lips,

                "Kitten, if I'd known you were a screamer I would have arranged a more private meeting"

                The dwarves erupted into laughter once again and Tabby glared at the golden dwarf, tears welling up in her eyes,

                "Go fuck yourself!"

                And with that she turned and stalked off, muttering to herself "This is the worst birthday ever"

                Tabitha slammed the door to her room and began pacing, running her hands through her hair in frustration as angry tears rolled down her cheeks. It took almost an hour for her to calm down and settle into the chair with a book. She had only been reading for a few moments when there was a timid knock on the door. Tabitha raised an eyebrow at the closed door, wondering who could be knocking at this time of night. Hadley usually just burst in and began talking and it was far too late for Elrond to be yelling at her. Putting the book aside, she trudged to the door and ripped it open.

                The dwarf jumped back a step and stared up at the young mage with a smirk on his face,

                "Easy, Kitten. Just me"

                Tabitha tried to close the door only for a large boot to stop it in its path,

                "Wait!"

                "What do you WANT?!"

                ".... I heard you say.... that it was your birthday"

                Tabitha opened the door a bit and looked down at him suspiciously,

                "And if it is?"

                Fili fidgeted a bit before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a crudely wrapped shape,

                "I had no time to get you a proper gift so... I thought I would give you this"

                Tabby looked down at the shape curiously,

                "Why would you give me a gift? You do not even know me"

                Fili reached up and rubbed the back of his neck,

                "Well... I know that it is your birthday. That... is enough"

                Tabby reached out and slowly placed her hand on top of the shape. He placed his other hand on top of hers and said,

                "But! If I give you this-"

                "I knew it!" she tried to pull away but his grip on her hand was too firm

                " **If I give you this**! You must promise to care for it. It is my favorite"

                Tabby looked down at him, her heart fluttering in her chest,

                "Why would you give me your favorite anything?"

                He took his hand off of hers, leaving the package,

                "I just am" and with that he turned and made his way back down the hall towards the other dwarves.

                Tabitha closed the door and pressed her back against it as she unwrapped the package. Laying in the wrapping was a large dagger. Its sheathe glimmered black in the moonlight. As she drew it from the sheathe, the blade glittered silver with runes lining the shaft. As she began flipping it between her fingers she found it to be perfectly balanced. As Tabitha ran her fingers across the cold steel of the dagger she found herself enamored by the beauty and craftsmanship of it. She re-sheathed it and turned, opening the door. As she peeked out a smug voice from just down the hall called out, "You're welcome, Kitten"

                Tabitha jumped and looked to find Fili leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and a smug grin on his face. She blushed and pouted at him, "What do you expect me to do with this?"

                "Whatever you please. It's yours now, Kitten"

                "Where did you get it?"

                "Does that matter?"

                "Did you steal it?"

                "I forged it"

                ".... you made this?"

                "I did. It was the first blade I ever forged"

                "I can't accept this!"

                "You already did"

                "Well then I'll give it back"

                "I won't take it"

                "Take it back!"

                She shuffled out of her room, holding the sheathed dagger towards him. Fili grinned up at her and moved his hands behind his back. He began backing up as she moved towards him. Tabitha quickened her pace and growled in frustration, "Take it!"

                Fili burst into laughter and turned, running down the hall. Tabitha groaned "More running?!" but took off after him. It wasn't long before she was chasing him through the garden, both of them laughing furiously. That is, until Tabitha's foot hooked under a tree root and she fell face first into a pile of leaves with a loud "HUWAK!" Fili whirled and ran back "Are you alright?!" he stepped slowly towards her motionless body until he was within arms reach.

                Tabitha suddenly exploded from the pile of leaves, grabbing the dwarf and throwing him down. The two rolled through the garden laughing merrily. They finally came to a stop with Fili pinning Tabitha to the ground, grinning down at her smugly. She tried to push him off but the dwarf was as strong as he was smug. He leaned down, his nose barely touching hers,

                "Seems I've caught a wild cat"

                "I thought I was the one chasing you"

                "That's the only way to catch a cat"

                He gently nuzzled her nose with his and chuckled softly, "What shall I do with my quarry now?" Tabitha blushed deeply as she replied "I never said that I was caught" he chuckled again "That is not for you to declare"

                Tabitha huffed and turned her face away, "Fine, you've captured me. I suppose I shall have to keep the dagger"

                Fili leaned down, his mouth right beside her ear. She could feel his hot breath rolling down her neck as he murmured softly, "Where shall you wear it, Kitten?"

                "I never said I would wear it"

                "Well, now you're just being stubborn"

                "I prefer the term contentious-"

                She gasped as he cut her off by running his hand up the outside of her thigh, "Perhaps this would be a good place" she let out a soft moan as he moved his hand to the inside of the thigh and chuckled softly against her ear, "Or perhaps here. Use it to save my place" Tabitha gripped the grass beneath her and bit her bottom lip "I shall find a place for it myself"

                With a final chuckle the dwarf pulled away completely. Tabitha felt almost attacked by the cool night air and the sudden removal of his warmth. She sat up and brushed herself off, picking up the dagger from where she had dropped it. Fili turned and looked at her, his expression shifting slowly from smug enjoyment to something else entirely. Tabitha rose and brushed off her dress "I should... go find Hadley" Fili tilted his head and raised an eyebrow "Must you?"

                "Yes"

                "Why do you flee from me?"

                "I told you. I have to find-"

                "Not just now. All day you have fled from me"

                "I...."

                Tabitha looked away towards the skyline, "I... am not from here. I do not belong here. It would not do for me to get attached"

                Fili stared at her for a moment, as if taking in every detail of her face before replying "You are already bound to me. If by fate or by chance I do not know. But we are bound. I know that you can feel the pull as well as I"

                Tabitha turned to face him. Her eyes scanned his face. She took in every detail before replying "I will fight it. And you should do the same. I will not discuss this again" and with that she moved towards the house, leaving Fili standing in the middle of the garden.

                As she reached her room, Tabitha put on the dagger. She would never admit it but it did fit perfectly against the inside of her thigh and no one would ever think to look there for it. After securing the dagger, she made her way to Hadley's room. She found the elf sitting near the window, petting Gostir and staring out at the garden.

                "Enjoy your little romp with your boyfriend?"

                "He's not my boyfriend"

                "Sure he's not. Okay. That's why he had his hand up your skirt"

                ".... shut up"

                "So what happened to not getting attached?"    

                "What did captain five-head want?"

                ".... well.... we're kind of.... going on an adventure.... I guess?"

                "An adventure? Where? To do what? With whom?"

                "Yes. To Erebor. I have no idea. With your boyfriend. Oh and Gandalf"

                ".... Yeah have fun with that"

                "Uh yeah sorry they're sending you too"

                "What?! WHY?!"

                "Punishment I guess"

                "Goddammit"

                Tabitha sighed and sank onto Hadley's bed, grabbing one of the pillows and covering her face with it,

                "Just hold this here. Like hard. Just hold it here until I stop twitching please"

                Hadley laughed at the muffled request,

                "Oh! And by the way.... Mr. I-Hate-Elves doesn't know yet. I figured you could... convince him"

                "...... Really hard. It'll only take a couple of minutes I swear"


	3. Giant Talking Mole-Rats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The adventuring begins (as well as copious amounts of flirting and romancing) but this adventure is not without its share of troubles. As the girls are led from one danger into another they begin to understand the magnitude of what they have undertaken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so tons of cute stuff in this one as well as a little bit of angst (like 3rd grader dropping their ice cream level of angst) and some romance. Trying to stick to the story as closely as possible but y'know..... shit happens. -Bear
> 
> Welp this is the first time I've commented in one of these note thingys I apologize for that. But! I do exist,I am not a figment of Bear's imagination! She isn't crazy or anything..well maybe a little. SHH! Don't tell her I told ya'll that! -Bunny

                The night passed with both girls chatting and finally curling up together on the massive bed. The next morning came gently and without much circumstance. As the two women made their way to the dining hall to breakfast, a voice called out behind them,

                "Well look at our luck, Brother! Two beautiful maidens to escort us to the dining hall!"

                Tabitha and Hadley both turned to find Fili and the dark haired dwarf from the night before. Fili smirked at Tabitha as he responded to his brother,

                "Aye, Kili. Just be careful of that one. She's awfully quick to slap"

                Kili laughed and replied, "Aye, I think I'll stay with the she-elf"

                And with that the brother split and took each side of the girls. Tabitha blushed lightly and looked away from Fili over to Hadley. Hadley tried to suppress her giggles as she said,

                "Perhaps Kili and I should give you two some more alone time. I don't know that you got as much done in the garden as you would have liked"

                If looks could kill, Hadley would have dropped on the spot. Tabitha glared daggers while Fili nearly choked suppressing his laughter. Kili did not even attempt to suppress his laughter. Hadley just puckered her lips at Tabitha and giggled lightly. The four made it to the dining hall to find the rest of the company already present. One of the dwarves piped up when he caught sight of the four,

                "Well if it i'nna the flock a' lovebirds finally out to feed!"

                The dwarves cracked up and Kili replied,

                "Oi! Not my fault Fili wanted to wait for his wife!"

                "I AM NOT HIS WIFE!"

                "Yes you are"

                "SHUT UP HADLEY!"

                The dwarves roared with laughter and Tabitha hissed at Hadley "You get to tell him yourself!"

                "Wait what?! NO!"

                Tabby slid into an open seat and frowned as Fili and Kili slid in on either side of her. That left only a seat between Kili and Thorin available, which Hadley was forced to take. She sat and smiled awkwardly over at the majestic but angry dwarf king. Thorin glared at her with a sneer and returned his glance to the plate. Hadley tried small talk,

                "So... lovely morning isn't it?"

                He cut his eyes at her and nodded slowly "Aye, it's lovely"

                "Hope it's this nice when we set out"

                "Where are you travelling?"

                "..... um.... with you?"

                Thorin turned to face Hadley as she slid slowly toward Kili. The young dwarf grinned as Hadley was practically in his lap. Thorin's face was dark as he replied,

                "You are mistaken if you think an elf will ever find themself in my company"

                "She is a dragon tamer," Tabitha piped up, "And you are walking into a dragon's den"

                "We journey to SLAY a dragon!"

                "You journey to death if you let your own hatred blind you to the resources available to you. Quite foolish a thing for a King to do"

                The glare that Tabitha received was returned with equal ferocity,

                "You do not scare me, little king. Hadley and I will be accompanying you on your quest. This was not requesting permission. This was telling you what will be. If you try to leave us behind, I will track you. If you try to attack us, I will end you. It would be wisest for you to accept that we are coming and make your peace with that idea"

                "Do you threaten me, Woman?"

                "I don't make threats. Only promises"

                At this point, Tabitha and Thorin were facing one another. Hadley was backed all the way into Kili's lap and he was slunk down into his seat as if to avoid the tension and Fili was just smirking, amused by the courage of the human woman. All the rest of the dwarves stared at the confrontation with wide eyes and silence in the hall. Even Bilbo dared not speak. The silence weighed heavily for a moment before Tabitha grinned brightly and declared,

                "You're cute when you're angry!"

                Thorin blinked, completely stunned as to how to respond. Fili's head snapped around to look up at Tabitha with a mixture of insult and surprise. Hadley dropped her face into her palm and Kili tried to stifle a chuckle. The rest of the company burst into laughter as Tabitha turned back to her plate of food. Fili looked between his uncle and the mage still looking very upset by the comment. Hadley realized that she was sitting on Kili's lap just before he realized it. He barely had a chance to flash her a grin before the elf leapt from his lap. His grin faded quickly until it mirrored his brother's expression of hurt.

                And so the next two weeks passed quickly. Hadley and Tabitha tried to maintain their usual routines while preparing for the journey, however the dwarven brothers always seemed to be waiting just around the corner for the two women. Between Hadley and Kili's constant teasing, Tabitha was convinced her face would be permanently stained red. Fili would often find Tabitha in the study. She never knew how long he had been watching her but she would look up from a book to find his eyes locked intently on her. She wished she could say that she hated it. But in truth she loved the quiet little moments of companionship. He would often follow her out to the gardens when she would escape the droll hours of study and watch her play with the elflings. He kept his distance ever since they had spoken, but always he was near her.

 

* * *

 

 

                It was the late watches of the night. Hadley was curled up on Tabitha's bed with Gostir snoring gently. Tabitha herself was sitting in her chair as usual with a book on her lap, reading by the pale moonlight. The knock came quiet but urgently at the door before a dwarf head peeked in. Bofur looked between the two before exclaiming,

                "We're leavin' lasses"

                "When?"

                "Well... that would be now"

                Tabitha closed the book and grabbed her bag from beneath the bed. She shook Hadley vigorously,

                "Hadley!"

                "I will bite you!"

                "Hadley we're leaving! Get up!"

                "Five more minutes"

                "We don't HAVE five minutes! We're leaving now!"

                She turned to the now fully wakened dragonling "Gostir, a little help please?" The dragon looked up at her and then down at his tamer before grabbing a pointed ear in his teeth and tugging. Hadley screeched and shot up in bed, toppling the tiny dragon off her shoulder.

                "OW! Ah! Gostir!"

                She scooped the baby dragon up and held him to her chest "I'm sorry!"

                "Gostir no hurt. Mama hurt?"

                "No. I'm not hurt"

                "We go! Go meet big dragons"

                "Okay. I'm up. Let's go"

                Tabitha chuckled, "Go get your bag from your room. I'll wait for you in the hallway"

                Hadley rose and stumbled from the room, her feet barely awake. Tabitha stepped out of the room, breathing in deeply the cool night air. It was only a few moments before the two women were making their way to meet with the dwarves.

                The path out of the valley was long, made longer by Hadley's complaints about how fast the dwarves were walking despite their stubby legs. Tabitha enjoyed the walk, eager to see more of the world than the walls of Elrond's home. As she walked, she found a familiar dwarf at her side. Fili smiled up at her warmly "Ready for an adventure, Kitten?"

                "I would not be here were I not"

                "Sure you're so eager to spend each day by my side?"

                "I've hardly been free of your side since you arrived, Master Dwarf"

                "Yes, and you hardly seem miserable for it"

                "I suppose eventually one becomes accustomed to having a small being trailing them. You've become quite like a pet to me"

                "A pet?!" he placed a hand over his heart in mock injury "My lady you wound me with your words!"

                ".... you'll heal" she snickered as she walked a bit ahead, leaving Fili to chuckle to himself. After a moment, he found himself walking next to the she-elf.

                "Strike out again, huh?"

                "I have no idea what that means"

                "It means you failed to win her heart again"

                "I have her heart"

                "Well then her lady parts. Whatever you're trying to get at this point"

                "I'm merely making idle conversation"

                "Yeah, that's why you've been stalking her for a fortnight"

                ".... Is there a point to this or are you simply insulting me for the enjoyment of it?"

                "I'm her best friend. Been so all our lives. Honestly, I'm a bit hurt that you didn't think to ask me for advice this whole time!"

                "And what advice could you possibly offer me?"

                "Well.... she enjoys having her hair played with. Also her neck is really sensitive. Oh! And she likes being bitten.... I really wish I didn't know that one. Also flowers are a big deal for her. She really just likes any kind of gift"

                "I have given her a gift. She tried to return it."

                "Dude, a dagger does not scream romance"

                "And what would - as you put it - 'scream romance' "

                "Jewelry is nice"

                "To give a woman a braid and a jewel for her hair is a declaration of betrothal in dwarven culture"

                Hadley beamed a sinister grin and said, "Oh! That's good! Yeah do that!"

                Fili looked at the elf suspiciously, "And when she slaps me again?"

                ".... eh, you'll heal"

                Fili looked up at the elf with a raised eyebrow but continued on silent for a time. When he finally did speak again, it was in a quiet tone,

                "Do you really think she would be swayed by idle trinkets?"

                "I think she likes you. I think she doesn't want to like you but she really REALLY likes you. She just needs a little push. She's too gaddanged stubborn for her own good"

                Fili smiled dreamily, "She is. Much of her behavior seems almost dwarven"

                "Yeah she's basically a really really tall dwarf dude"

                "Save for her short life span"

                "What do you mean?"

                "How old do you think I am, Hadley?"

                "I dunno... like twenty something?"

                Fili laughed brightly "If I were but an infant! I am almost seventy years old"

                Hadley blinked at him for a moment before turning to look at Tabitha "Well... she is into older guys"

                Fili laughed again "I did not think elves such as you existed, Hadley"

                Hadley grinned brightly "Thank you! .... I think"

                Tabitha thought long and hard as they walked seeking the best way to push Fili away from her. She actually wanted nothing more than to continue growing closer with him. But she just knew in her gut that there was no way it would end well. For days they walked and she thought but each night around the campfire, Tabitha found herself nestled in with Hadley and the dwarf brothers. They told stories and jokes and sometimes the boys would play tricks on the girls. Much more frequently the girls would play tricks on the boys. Soon, the group was inseparable, walking together during the day, curling up together around the campfire.... stealing Bofur's hat together on a regular basis, trying to see who could hit Bombur's bottom chin with a rock just right to make his whole stomach jiggle. With the four of them together it felt less like a deadly quest and more like a school camping trip. Until they reached the mountains.

 

* * *

 

 

                As the rain poured and the thunder rolled, she miserably trudged on with the line of dwarves. When the mountains suddenly began moving, all she could do was cling to the wet rocks and hold on to Hadley. She could hear Fili yelling her name but by the time she could see through the rain, he was flying away from her. Which made Tabitha think she had been hit in the head with one of the many falling rocks or something. It wasn't until she looked straight up that she realized he was on one of the stone giants heading into battle.

                As Hadley and Kili dragged Tabitha away from the edge where Fili had just been, Tabby suddenly realized that she was screaming Fili's name. She watched in horror as the giant had its head thrown from its body and came toppling down. She screamed again as the dwarves and hobbit on its ledge came crashing into the side of the mountain in front of them. As the massive corpse of the stone giant slid away from the mountain face, the sight of Fili alive and unharmed actually brought the mage to her knees. She was dragged up by Hadley again and all together the soaked and terrified company scurried into the first cave they could find.

                Hadley looked around frowning, "Man, it's friggin' creepy in here huh, Tabby?" she turned and looked around, trying to find her companion "Tabby?" Her eyes finally fell on the mage curled up in the corner, wrapped tightly around the golden haired dwarf as if she was trying to squeeze all the water from him. Hadley grinned "D'aaaaaaw!" it was only a moment before a voice beside her piped up "Almost makes you wish you had someone to cling to as well, don't it lass?"

                Hadley looked down to find Kili beaming up at her and wiggling his eyebrows. Hadley smiled down at him "Yeah, it does"

                "I gladly offer my services"

                "Aw! You are too cute!"

                The elf-maid kneeled down and wrapped the dark-haired dwarf in a tight hug. Kili held her, his eyes wide. He never imagined that would work. Let alone on an elf. But Kili was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth and beamed stupidly as he found a small area for the two to cuddle together.

                Tabitha trembled though she couldn't tell if it was from the cold or the fear. Fili held her tightly, gently rubbing circles on her back "You're shaking like a leaf, Kitten"

                "It is very cold and I am soaked through"

                "I will warm you as best I can... if you will allow me"

                "... Fili-"

                "I did not mean it that way. I do have honor. Little discipline but honor"

                Tabitha managed a chuckle but it came out choked and accompanied by hot tears. They were not missed by the dwarf, "You are crying! What did I do? Are you hurt?!" he cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to look him in the eyes. She felt her bottom lip forming into that ugly crying face shape as the tears came more freely follow by quiet sobs "I thought.... I thought you were.... I thought you were dead!" a look of surprise flashed on the dwarf's face, followed quickly by a gentle smile "Tabitha..." he reached up and gently wiped the tears from her face "Do not cry. I am here" he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against her "I would not leave you" she sniffled softly "Death is inescapable"

                "Death itself could not part me from your side"

                "You cannot promise that"

                "I can and do. I swear it. On the stubbornness of dwarves do I swear it. I will not leave your side save for your wish that I do so"

                She pulled away and looked into his eyes "Fili... why?"

                "Do not ask me that"

                "I want to know"

                "You yourself said we were not to speak of it" a look of confusion flashed on her face for a moment before realization dawned. She blushed lightly and cleared her throat "I... I see" she looked away "I believe I am warm enough" and she began to pull away. She didn't get far before he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to him, "Don't go" Tabitha couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye as she said "Fili, please"

                "Let me help you pull your hair up"

                Tabitha looked at him in bewilderment, "What?" Fili blinked and stuttered out, "Your hair. It clings to your face and seems to be quite troublesome. Let me put it up for you so that you will not have to worry with it" Tabby blinked at him for a moment but slowly relaxed "You're being weird.... but I see no harm in that..."

                She turned so that her back was facing him. He began slowly running his fingers through her thick, wet hair. Slowly he weaved strands of her hair together, fastening them with small straps of leather. He made five braids throughout her hair and used them to bind the rest of her hair up in a ponytail. He left enough out of the ponytail for a sixth braid. This one he bound with a small silver bauble identical to those in his own braids. By the time he had reached this braid, Tabitha had sunk back against his chest and fallen into a gentle slumber. Once he was finished with her hair, Fili wrapped his arms around her. He held her firmly but gently and whispered words of love and adoration in her ear as she slumbered.

                As the couple curled up into sleep, they were unaware of the sharp elven eyes watching them intently. As Kili nuzzled Hadley's neck she watched Fili and Tabitha longingly muttering softly to herself "Why can't I find that?"

                "Oi!" the dark haired dwarf looked up at her with a pout. Hadley looked down at him curiously "What?"

                "What am I? An orc?"

                Hadley grinned awkwardly, "Well, no it's just..." she looked back over at Fili and Tabby "Look how in love they are... I want that"

                "I could give you that"

                Hadley blushed lightly "Kili.... I don't.... it's not that I couldn't but I just don't feel that way about you"

                "It's because I'm a dwarf isn't it?"

                ".... uh.... I...."

                "You needn't answer. I'm just joking"

                "Oh thank god"

                "I am sorry that I cannot give you what my brother has found. But I can at least offer what comfort I may"

                "Thanks Kili" she held him tighter "You are too sweet!"

                With that the company fell into a silent slumber. Though, they did not sleep for long. Hadley and Tabitha woke violently to the floor falling out from in under them. As they slid through the rock caverns, Hadley screeched and clawed at the walls trying to catch herself. Tabitha reached for the hilt of her sword, trying not to throw up. They landed hard on the pile of dwarves, Fili and Kili fell on top of the two girls, eliciting squeaks from each.

                At the sound of goblins, Tabitha rolled Fili off of her and slid off the pile of dwarves - drawing her blade. Hadley was now piled under both dwarf brothers and flailing wildly. By the time Fili had managed to untangle himself from his brother, Tabitha was already in the throngs of battle with the goblin hoard. Fili leapt from the pile, yelling her name as he rushed for her. In mere moments, however, the entire company was overrun by the goblins. They ripped Tabitha's blade from her hands and threw her to the ground. This drew several loud dwarvish curses from Fili who threw off the goblins holding him momentarily and tried to make his way to the woman. He only managed a couple of steps before he was recaptured and put on the ground as well. Hadley tried to curl up in a ball and disappear, only to be picked up by the goblins and carried into the tunnels – still in a little ball. Gostir curled up under Hadley's long flowing hair, invisible from the goblins as they carried her.

                Through long tunnels the company was dragged until they stood before the largest goblin of them all. The goblins threw Hadley down with little ceremony, causing a pained "HYERK" to escape her. As a knee jerk reaction, her foot shot out and slammed into one of the goblins' faces. Tabitha looked up with a sneer of disgust as the great goblin addressed Thorin, speaking of the pale orc. She jumped when she suddenly felt warmth on her hand and looked down to find Fili had moved closer to her. He glanced up at her with a half-hearted smirk and said,

                "Are you unharmed?"

                "Save for my pride"

                "You fought well, your pride should be intact"

                "I've been captured by giant talking mole-rats. Hard to be proud of anything at this point"

                "They will not hurt you. I will not let them"

                "I don't think they would give you much choice in the matter, Fee"

                He smiled up at her, "You call me by pet names, now?"

                ".... I do not want to waste syllables. It would require me to breathe more of this putrid goblin stench into my lungs"

                Fili gripped her hand tightly and chuckled, "You are stubborn"

                "And you talk too much"

                Hadley had skittered from her position on the ground to cling to Tabitha's back. She was crying as Tabitha put an arm around the frightened elf "Shhh, it's alright. They will have to kill me first" there was an eruption of goblins as Thorin pulled his sword. Fili and the rest of the dwarves moved to defend their king as Tabitha wrapped herself around Hadley to shield her from harm. There was suddenly a flash of light and a loud crack. Tabitha felt a sudden rush of warmth as magic passed over her. Hadley looked up with wide eyes to find her friend's eyes glowing completely golden.

                Tabitha turned at the summon from Gandalf to fight. She released Hadley and held her hands out to the side like claws. Hadley could see the glow of flames dancing in Tabitha's palms. Hadley took off running toward Gandalf as Tabitha moved into the midst of the fight. From where Hadley stood behind Gandalf, she could see a small vortex of flames devouring several goblins at a time. She never imagined that the chubby girl she'd grown up with would ever be able to do anything like that. She heard a soft growl underneath her hair and looked to see Gostir peeking out, snarling. Hadley turned just in time to see two goblins jump towards her.

                Tabitha turned and yelled for Hadley just as the goblins descended on her. There was a flash of green light and the goblins fell to ashes in front of her. Tabitha stared in awe as Hadley's eyes turned to her. They had turned completely green with deep black slits through the very center. Tabitha stood frozen at the sight before her. Which probably wasn't the best idea as the next thing she knew she had been taken to the ground by a goblin on her back. Tabitha knocked it away with her shield and reached beneath her skirt, drawing the dagger from her thigh. She slashed the goblin's throat and whirled around to find another one frozen in the air right behind her. She stared wide eyed as the corpse fell to the side to reveal a smirking Fili,

                "I told you"

                "STOP TALKING!"

                She brought the shield over him, bashing away the goblin coming right for his back. Fili opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off with,

                "DO NOT SPEAK! RUN!"

                And she took off after Gandalf and Hadley. The rest of the dwarves followed suit. They ran through the maze of the goblin tunnels fighting off attacks from all sides. Hadley helped to clear the front by breathing green balls of dragon fire before them, incinerating whatever was in their path. Tabitha slashed goblins on one side and bashed them away with her shield on the other. Suddenly, Tabitha felt her foot catch and fell forward. She turned to find a particularly ugly goblin clinging to her ankle. There was a sudden crash as the great goblin burst through the bridge they stood on. He swung at Gandalf before laughing,

                "What will you do now, wizard?"

                Tabitha kicked at the goblin on her ankle as Gandalf slammed his staff into the great goblin's eye and slashed his stomach. The goblin on Tabitha's ankle bit her, causing her to scream in pain as the great goblin fell to his knees and stared up at Gandalf,

                "Well, that'll do it"

                Gandalf slashed the great goblin's throat as Fili drove his sword through the goblin on Tabitha's ankle's eye. Tabitha tried to stand but found that she couldn't put weight on the ankle. The bridge began to shake when she suddenly found herself hovering in the air. Tabitha turned to find Fili holding her bridal style,

                "Hold on, Kitten"

                "Fee wha- AAAAAAAHHHH"

                Tabitha clung tightly to the dwarf's neck as the bridge collapsed, taking the entire company down with it. Hadley found herself clinging tightly to Gandalf, who wrapped his cloak around her to protect the elf maiden. As the company ran out of the caves, everyone glanced strangely as Fili carried Tabitha past them.

                When the company was safe, Fili set a red-faced Tabitha on the ground next to a large tree and reached down to her ankle,

                "Here, let me see it"

                Tabitha only squeaked in response. Fili glanced up at her with a smirk,

                "Well you're awfully cooperative"

                Tabitha looked away as he chuckled and continued,

                "And quiet. And quite red. Are you alright, Kitten?"

                Tabitha nodded vigorously, still avoiding his gaze. Fili ran his fingers gingerly over the bite wound on her ankle. Tabby hissed slightly as he did,

                "We'll have to wrap it," he pulled a bit of cloth from in his vest and began tightly binding it around her ankle. He looked up at her as he did, "So will you tell me why you're so flustered or shall I have to guess?"

                Tabitha crossed her arms and shook her head, "I don't want to talk about it"

                "Well, you seemed perfectly fine until I carried you..."

                "Shut up, Fili"

                "Oh, well that was easy"

                He moved his hand gently up her calf "Did you think I was not strong enough to lift you, Kitten? You barely weigh anything"

                "Shut up, Fili"

                "Shall I show you how easy it is for me to hold you up? I can do more than run with you in my arms"

                Tabitha glared at him, bringing her other foot over to kick his hand away from her leg,

                "Shut. Up. Fili!" she stood from her seat, staggering a bit at the spike of pain in her ankle. Fili tried to help her but she pushed him away,

                "Thank you for binding my foot"

                And with that she limped off. Hadley ran up to the limping Tabby and threw her arms around her "TABBY! TABBY! I DID STUFF AND THE GOBLINS WENT POOF AND IT WAS SO COOL!"

                "OW OW OW HADLEY!"

                "OH! Sorry!"

                The girls turned as the hobbit appeared seemingly out of thin air. Hadley seemed unphased by the feat but Tabitha felt a cold chill run up her spine. Something was different about the hobbit. She had no idea what, but it made her skin crawl. As the company moved on from the spot, a large wrinkled hand appeared on Tabitha's shoulder,

                "You felt it too"

                "Gandalf, what is that?" she asked as she stared at the back of the hobbit. Gandalf spoke softly in reply, "I cannot be sure. I know that our burglar has found something. Something that is not his"

                "Gandalf I know-"

                "No. I am not meant to know what it is yet. You are out of place here. Whatever your purpose, this is not it"

                ".... Be careful. That is what I CAN say"

                The wizard smiled brightly to the young woman, "Always"

                As Gandlaf spoke a loud howl echoed through the forest. Tabitha stopped and turned, her eyes wide with fear. A loud squeak could be heard, followed by Hadley appearing at Tabitha's back. The entire company looked up to see a pack of wargs coming down from the mountains towards them. As Gandalf proclaimed for the company to run, Tabitha felt panick creep up into her stomach. She wouldn't get far on her wounded ankle. Her mind raced when suddenly she was once again swept off her feet. This time much less ceremoniously. Fili held the woman on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes as he ran. Tabitha looked back and cried, "REALLY?!" Fili yelled back, "YOU WOULD PREFER TO WALK? PERHAPS A GENTLE STROLL AWAY FROM **_WARGS_** _?!_ "

                Tabitha looked behind Fili to see the wargs closing down on him. She began focusing on summoning energy into her palms when she was torn from her concentration by a firm hand on her buttocks,

                "FILI!"

                "OI! IF I AM TO DIE, LET ME DIE HAPPY"

                Tabitha growled and focused her anger into her palms. With a flick of her wrist she sent a blade of fire roaring through the woods behind them. The wargs shrieked in agony as they were engulfed in gold and red flames.

                "WE ARE NOT GOING TO DIE! BUT WHEN WE SURVIVE THIS I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"

                ".... NO YOU ARE NOT!"

                As the company ran, they found themselves at the end of a high cliff. The order rang out "CLIMB!" Tabitha blinked as she was suddenly pulled off Fili's shoulder and into his arms,

                "Fili, No!"

                "Try not to miss your grip"

                "FILI NOOOOO!"

                Tabitha shrieked as the dwarf suddenly tossed her up into the air. She clawed at the branches, slipping from two of the top most ones. Her back slammed into the third one down, but she managed to grab onto it. In mere moments, Fili had scaled the tree and was beside of her,

                "Nice catch. Suppose it's true what they say about Kittens and trees"

                "I'm going to hurt you. I'm going to hurt you so very much"

                "Love you too"

                Hadley shrieked as she ran to the nearest tree. A small whisper to the trunk of the tree caused the branches to bend and wrap underneath her like a ski lift. As the tree pulled her up above the reach of the wargs, she began whispering to the other trees. Suddenly all the dwarves left on the ground were snatched up by branches and tossed up out of the wargs' reach. Hadley continued to whisper into the trees, causing the roots to rip from the ground.

                Wargs were choked by the roots as well as pelted with the pin cones. Tabitha began throwing fireballs into the paths of the pine cones, making little flame grenades. As the wargs began to retreat, the girls looked to see a large pale orc riding out on a white warg. The sound of the trees being pushed over made both women scream as they began to fall. Tabitha leapt from the falling tree, smacking into the tree with Hadley. However, with her wounded ankle, Tabitha wasn’t able to push off hard enough and ended up ramming her head into Hadley's. The girls rubbing the stars from their eyes just in time to see the wargs trying to push their tree over. Tabitha hissed, "Not again" to which Hadley grabbed her around the waist "HOLD ON!" The two rode the tree almost all the way down before leaping onto the tree on the edge.

                The girls clung to the tree, dangling over the cliff precariously. Tabitha's eyes scanned the tree until she found Fili and breathed a long sigh of relief. Hadley nudged Tabitha and pointed to Thorin who was charging at the pale orc. Tabitha looked around only to find Bilbo staring intently at Thorin. She nudged the elf and pointed to the hobbit. Hadley looked only to turn back and the girls shared a knowing glance. The sound of Thorin's screams woke the girls from their silent conversation. Tabitha tried to pull herself up to run after him only to have the branch she was on give a loud, angry cracking noise. Hadley looked over just as the branch gave out from in under Tabitha. Hadley screamed and reached for the falling mage. Tabitha’s fingers barely brushed the dragon tamer’s on the way down. Hadley's heart skipped as she watched her childhood friend plummet down towards her death.

                Tabitha could not even scream. It felt like everything was moving in slow motion. She watched the tree grow smaller and farther away. She could hear Hadley screaming her name over and over again. She watched Fili turn as he realized that she had fallen. She watched as he tried to jump after her. She watched Kili hold him back and heard him scream her name. She could see everything all at once. And then, it was like she froze in the air. Everything froze. It hovered there for a moment before she felt something rise up against her back. Tabitha pushed herself up and looked around, confused. She clung tightly to the feathers beneath her as the massive eagle soared up towards the dangling tree.

                Hadley let out a long breath of relief as the eagle soared up in under her best friend. Though, it was followed by a scream when the eagle grabbed her with its talons and threw her up into the air. Hadley flailed as she fell, until another eagle appeared beneath her. She clung to the bird and looked around, trying to find Tabitha's eagle. There were so many of them and they were moving so quickly and in so many directions that she could not tell one from another.

                Tabitha watched as the eagles flew around gathering dwarves and attacking orcs. She urged her own eagle into the fray again and again until all of the dwarves were gathered. As they soared into the sky away from the flaming cliff, Tabitha and Hadley glanced to one another for a moment before they burst out laughing like crazy. They laughed until they were crying, and then as the laughter died off while the tears did not. Both girls curled up on their eagles and wept. They had dreamed since they were little of adventures. But their own adventure was shaping up to be terrible and deadly.

                The girls cried until the tears would not come any longer. They hid their faces in the feathers of the eagles. Neither girl could know if they would have another opportunity to cry away from the dwarves. Tabitha knew she could not afford to show any kind of weakness. Hadley knew that she could not hold back the company because of her own fears. So together the girls shared their pain and fear, though they flew so far apart. That was the strength of their bond. That was their strength.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SUPER CORNY ENDING FOR THE WIN! MWAHAHAHAHA!!!!111one -Bear
> 
> Damnit Bear don't joke about droppin' ice cream! Aaaand we kinda forgot that Hadley had power over nature..poor Hadley lol. -Bunny


	4. How does that even work?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The company finally has a chance to catch their breath but Fili might wish that they didn't. Or maybe not. Who knows?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want a giant Eagle to fly around on! -Bunny
> 
> So do the dwarves for like half the movies I would think... - Bear

                As the eagles touched down and the dwarves all gathered around Thorin. Tabitha limped over and wrapped her arms around Hadley. She whispered gently into the elf's ear,

                "We're going to be alright"

                "You don't know that"

                "I know that I'm gonna make it so"

                "... I love you, Tabby"

                "I love you too, Haddy"

                The girls rejoined the rest of the group, brushing off the incident as if it had never happened. The young dwarf brothers each noticed the girls had been crying but said nothing of it. As they had a chance to breathe, Hadley forced Tabitha to sit and let her heal the wound on her ankle. A gentle light formed around the wound before the pain seeped away into nothingness. Tabitha grinned up at the elf,

                "So, Galadriel did teach you something"

                "All Elrond taught you was how to set things on fire"

                "I already knew that"

                "Exactly"

                The two looked up as the dwarf brothers approached. Kili spoke first,

                "We're moving out, my ladies"

                Fili chimed in,

                "We've come to escort you"

                Tabitha and Hadley looked at one another before rising and linking arms. Tabitha raised her chin in the air and replied,

                "No thank you, boys"

                "We'll escort ourselves"

                And with that the girls walked arm in arm together towards the rest of the company.

                The company moved down into the area around the cliff and walked for days. Bilbo was sent to scout while the rest of the company waited in a small crag. Hadley and Tabitha were whispering lowly, as they had been for a while, about ways they could work together in the next attack. Gostir fluttered over the girls, keeping a watch of his own. Every time Fili or Kili would look in the direction of the females, the tiny dragon would hiss angrily at them. Tabitha had taught him that trick.

                Bilbo returned breathless with news of not only the orcs but also some massive bear beast. As the dwarves grew restless at the idea, Gandalf began to talk of a house where the company might rest. When it became obvious that there was no other option, the entire company began running. They could hear the beast roaring behind them, getting closer all the time. As they crossed the field and the house came into sight, Hadley and Tabitha both could feel the vibrations through the earth of the beast thundering towards them. Hadley lifted her skirt up a bit to try and run faster when she noticed Bombur trotting past her. As they passed the garden gate, Tabitha watched the dwarves slam into the front door and muttered to herself "Idiots". She made her way towards the door but Thorin reached it first, pulling the latch and letting the company fall inside.

                Tabitha got behind the door to help the dwarves push it shut as Hadley held Gostir to her chest. Hadley began screaming as a massive bear face appeared in the door. Tabitha roared back and continued to push with all of her might. When the door finally closed, Tabitha sank to the ground and let her back rest against the wood of the door. Hadley trembled. Tabitha chuckled weakly but didn't have the strength to push herself up. Fili grabbed her by the arm and hoisted her to her feet, eliciting a hiss from Gostir. Tabitha beamed with pride at the little dragon while Hadley tried to suppress her laughter. As Gandalf began to explain that the massive beast was the master of the house, Hadley looked up at him with big eyes. Tabitha reached to rest her arm on the hilt of her sword before remembering that it had been lost. She frowned. She had grown accustomed to the damn thing and now it was gone.

                As the dwarves began to settle in to get some rest, Hadley found Tabitha meditating in a corner away from everyone else,

                "Tabby, whatcha doooin'?"

                "I'm gonna summon my sword"

                "You're gonna who the what now?"

                "I lost my sword in the goblin caves"

                "I remember"

                "I'm going to summon it back"

                "Can you.... do that?"

                "Of course! I think... maybe"

                "Okay.... good luck with that. I'm gonna be on the opposite side of the house"

                "Right"

                Hadley scurried off to the opposite side of the cottage as Tabitha closed her eyes and tried once more to focus on the sword. She could see its shape, feel its hilt. Hadley watched, amazed as Tabitha's lap began to glow with a bright golden light. It began to slowly take shape until it was a clear, translucent outline of the blade. All of the dwarves had stopped what they were doing by now and were watching the young mage. Even Gandalf had his eyes on her. Tabitha focused on the weight. She could almost see it in her lap. She could almost feel it. She opened her hands as the shape in her lap grew more and more opaque until there was a loud shimmering sound and the sword dropped into her hands.

                Tabitha opened her eyes and looked down. She inspected the sword carefully until she found the tiny little scratch from one of the goblins near the base. Tabitha jumped up from her seat and began squealing in delight, holding the sword over her head and chanting "I DID IT I DID IT I DID IT!!!!" over and over again. All the dwarves near her jumped back away from her as she bounced up and down swinging the blade. Fili was the first to burst out laughing. Followed by Gandalf. Soon, the entire company was laughing at the crazy mage amongst them. Even Hadley couldn't help but laugh. Tabitha looked around for a moment before realizing they were laughing at her and blushing deeply.

                The day passed into night peacefully. The dark of the night found Hadley wandering restlessly. She could hear the bees and the horses and the dogs outside murmuring and whispering to each other. She could hear the mice and the trees gossiping. It was all too loud. She jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder,

                "You should be resting, Lady Hadley" the grey wanderer smiled warmly to her.

                "But I can hear everything"

                "Have you not ever been in a crowded room, my lady?"

                "Yes. But that didn't involve being able to hear the animals and the trees talking"

                "It is not that much different from hearing several people talking at once. It is no more than noise. Treat it as such"

                "Good point. Is all magic like that?"

                "Like what?"

                "Comes with weird and sucky side effects?"

                The wizard laughed and replied, "Well, yes. All magick has a cost. That is why it is best not to use it too frequently"

                "What about Tabby?"

                "What about her?"

                "She uses her magick for stuff and it doesn't seem to bother her at all"

                Gandalf's eyes seemed to grow deeper, like endless grey wells in the earth. He glanced over at the young mage and answered slowly,

                "Do not assume that just because you cannot see the suffering of another, they do not suffer. Young Tabitha pays for her magick just as any other. I feel she is far better, however, at hiding it"

                Hadley looked over at the (slightly) older woman and frowned, "She always has been. I don't know when it became this way. Tabby's just always been stronger than me. She's always protected me. She's always taken all the punches and beatings. I'm weaker than she is"

                Gandalf smiled softly at her, "Weakness is nothing to be ashamed of. You are a brave young elf"

                Hadley frowned "How do ya figure? I'm always crying and hiding"

                "And yet here you are. You knew this would be dangerous. You knew that there was a chance that Tabitha could not protect you. And yet, here you are. Why is that?"

                Hadley looked up at him, frowning slightly, "Because.... I don't know.... I guess because I want to be strong"

                Gandalf gently squeezed the elf's shoulder and beamed warmly at her,

                "That, my dear, is a strength in itself. And of that you should be proud"

                Hadley smiled, a warm feeling welling up in her chest.

                On the other side of the house, Tabitha lay curled up against a post. It was true that her magick had an effect on her. She felt like she had molten steel coursing through her muscles and daggers churning in her stomach. She laid motionless against the post, trying to work her way through the pain. It was not obvious from the outside that anything was wrong save for a cold sweat formed on her brow. She didn't even notice when she was approached,

                "What's the matter?"

                Tabitha cut her eyes up to find a pair of blue ones looking on her with immense worry. She shook her head, barely able to move it,

                "Nothing. I'm fine"

                Even the act of speaking was excruciating. Fili sat next to her and gently brushed a loose hair from her forehead,

                "Your forehead is damp yet your skin is cold and your eyes have all the brightness of coal"

                "Gee you sure know how to sweet talk a girl"

                "And your responses lack their usual bite"

                "I am fine"

                "You are lying"

                "You are nosey"

                "I am concerned. Please, Tabitha. Tell me what it is"

                "You can't help me"

                He gently wrapped his arms around her, pulling her head onto his chest,

                "I can sit with you until you are better"

                Tabitha sighed softly. Having him near did seem to dull the pain, if only a little.

                "I... overexerted myself. My magic courses through my veins. When I use too much it burns me"

                "You should have left the blade where it was"

                "I need a sword"

                "You do not"

                "I cannot protect Hadley if I am unarmed"

                "And who is to protect you?"

                Tabitha looked up at him, searching his eyes,

                "No one. No one protects me. No one ever has. I do not need it"

                "Your insides burn and not a fortnight hence a goblin almost bit your foot off-"

                "You're exaggerating"

                "I am not. You are strong, Kitten, but you are not invincible. And if anything were to happen to you I-"

                "You would mourn and you would move on," Tabitha looked away "As everyone does. As everyone has save for Hadley"

                "I would never. I would never stop mourning you, Tabitha"

                She looked back at him, her cheeks flushing lightly as he continued,

                "I do not know what it is you think I am to you, but you are the one I love. Only you. If you were to pass or to leave then I would never stop mourning"

                Fili smirked lightly,

                "And dwarves live far too long to spend the rest of my life as a grieving widow"

                Tabitha chuckled softly, but immediately winced. Fili wrapped his arms tightly around her and held her to him,

                "Sleep now. You will feel better in the morning"

                And as if she had - for once in her life - heeded his command, Tabitha slipped into a light slumber.

 

* * *

 

 

                As the next morning rolled in, the company was amazed to find the massive man addressing them. He spoke with them of his people and the history behind their blood feud with the orcs. As he spoke of the carelessness of dwarves, his eyes fell on Tabitha,

                "Though, I have never heard of a dwarf bethrothing themself to a human"

                Tabitha looked around before looking up at Beorn,

                "I'm sorry who doing what?"

                He walked up and gently stroked the sixth braid in her hair, stopping at the small silver bauble at the end,

                "This braid. It was put in your hair by one of the dwarves, yes?"

                Tabitha cut her eyes at Fili, her eyebrows beginning to knit in anger,

                "Yes"

                "This is an old dwarf custom. Ancient. The women wear braids in their hair with a bauble like this. Given to them by their betrothed. It marks them as belonging to the dwarf man until the day they are wed"

                Tabitha's eyes grew wide as she continued to stare at Fili. Her nostrils flared and she rose slowly from her seat. Fili stared at the woman in horror and guilt before raising his hand to point to Hadley. Hadley froze mid-tiptoe as all eyes turned to her. She slowly turned her head to look at Fili before spinning to face him,

                "YOU SOLD ME OUT YOU LITTLE DWARF BASTARD!"

                "THIS WAS YOUR IDEA!"

                "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO LISTENED TO ME!"

                Fili opened his mouth to respond but had no chance before he was struck in the face with his own silver bauble. The dwarf spun to find Tabitha standing over him with clenched fists, shaking with fury. The dwarf, despite his normal courage, shrank back in his seat. Without a word, Tabitha turned and began stomping towards the door. She could be heard muttering of unspeakable violence under her breath in elvish. Gandalf winced with each curse. All of the company flinched as the massive door slammed shut behind the human mage. After a moment of looking around, the company erupted into laughter. Fili rose and began chasing quickly after her. Hadley caught him by the arm,

                "I wouldn't"

                "And why should I listen to you now?! This whole mess is because I listened to YOU!"

                He snatched his arm away and ran out the door, not even bothering to close it behind him. Hadley pursed her lips and watched him go with wide eyes before turning,

                "His funeral"

                From the head of the table a deep growl could be heard,

                "This is why I hate dwarfs"

                Tabitha slammed the door of the stable behind her, screaming in frustration. She threw one of the massive barrels across the space and kicked up some hay before dropping down to sit cross-legged with her back against the wall. The sound of the door opening roused her from her seething. When she saw him she snapped,

                "GO AWAY!"

                Fili jumped and spun to face her. He stared at her for a moment - for she was quite a sight with straw in her hair- before speaking,

                "I will not"

                Tabitha began to rise as she shouted,

                "YOU HAD NO RIGHT-"

                She was cut short by Fili pushing her down onto her knees and back up against the wall by her shoulder

                "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CONTINUE TO PLAY THESE GAMES WITH ME!"

                "I PLAY NOTHING!"

                "Indeed! You are content to lie in my arms each night, to seek me with your eyes each time we are apart! Yet the moment I try to get close you push me away as if I were the great goblin himself!"

                Tabitha shoved him away,

                "BECAUSE YOU WILL HURT ME!"

                Fili stood for a moment, stunned by that accusation. Tabitha looked down at the straw under her knees as she continued,

                "This... I am not from this place. I do not belong here, Fili. At any moment I may wake back in my home and this will all be but a fever dream. How am I to live with that thought if I-"

                "If you love me?" Fili moved closer as he spoke, forcing her to look at him, "But you do, Tabitha. I can see it in your eyes. I can hear it in your voice. I can feel it each time we but touch. You already love me" he reached out and gently cupped her face in his hands "You may wake tomorrow and find this but a fever dream. I may wake tomorrow and find it to be my last day. Do you think that you would mourn any less if you continue to push me away? Do you think your heart will know the difference whether your tongue has spoken it or not?"

                Tears welled up in Tabitha's eyes and her bottom lip trembled, "I am scared, Fili. I don't want to lose you... but I know that I will"

                He leaned closer, his lips but a breath away from hers, "If our parting is inevitable, would you not rather enjoy what time we do have together than to torture yourself?"

                Tabitha inhaled a shuddered breath before replying, "It hurts...."

                Fili whispered softly in return, "Then let me ease your pain"

                With that he gently pressed his lips against hers. Tears streamed down Tabitha's cheeks as she returned the kiss. She reached up, gently sliding her fingers into his golden hair. Fili grew bolder. He shifted his weight forward, pressing her up against the wall. His kiss grew hungrier, more demanding. He moved one of his hands around to the back of her neck, pulling her into the kiss. Tabitha let out a soft whimper as she moved her hands down his neck to his chest. She pulled at the fur on his coat as if she could pull his body any closer to hers. He smiled into the kiss before pulling away. The two stared into each other's eyes as they both panted for breath. Fili smiled down at her with warm adoration and Tabitha stared up at him in wonder and curiosity. Fili reached forward and took the loose braid in his hand,

                "That wasn't so bad now, was it?"

                "... Shut up"

                He smirked and leaned forward again as he growled,

                "Make me"

 

* * *

 

 

                Hadley looked at the open door curiously,

                "I really hope she didn't actually kill him...."

                Kili laughed,

                "Fili will be fine! He heals quickly"

                "Not from death!"

                Kili looked thoughtful for a moment,

                "Bah, Tabby would not kill Fili. Despite her... pointy demeanor she rather fancies him"

                "Okay maybe not kill.... maim. Possibly set on fire"

                "Ah, it'll build character"

                ".... mmmn... I almost feel responsible for this.... maybe I should go check on them"

                "That's awfully brave, volunteering to be set on fire in his place"

                "......... good point. You come too"

                "Me?! What've I done?!"

                "Nothing. That's why she won't set YOU on fire. And maybe you can talk her out of setting anyone else on fire"

                "I don't think it works that way"

                "Well Fili is YOUR brother"

                ".... alright. Let's go before I change my mind"

                With that the two made their way out of the house.

                "Do you see them?"

                "No... have you checked behind the beehives"

                "I'm not going back there! Those bees are friggin' HUGE!"

                "Well what about the stable?"

                "I haven't checked there..."

                "Well, ladies first"

                "Uh.... how about age before beauty?"

                ".... fine"

                As the two neared the stable, they could hear muffled noises coming from within. Kili gave Hadley the 'wait here' signal and walked up closer. He put his ear to the door and immediately turned white as a ghost. Hadley snuck up behind him,

                "Is it bad?! Is she killing him?!"

                Kili looked over at her and grew bright pink,

                "Erm- Well no. Quite uh... quite the opposite from the sounds of things"

                Hadley blinked and put her ear to the door as well. She turned a bright shade of red and stumbled back,

                "HOW DOES THAT EVEN WORK?!"

                Kili shushed her loudly before hissing,

                "Be QUIET! You really want her to HEAR you?!"

                Hadley covered her mouth and whispered,

                "Oops! Sorry!"

                Kili motioned towards the house,

                "Come away. Let's leave them be"

                Hadley nodded and began sneaking away before chuckling a bit to herself

                "Pay dirt"

 

* * *

 

 

                Tabitha fell over in the straw, panting heavily. She looked over at the dwarf and began giggling uncontrollably. He grinned and wrapped his arms around her, nipping lightly at her jaw,

                "And what, may I ask, is so funny?"

                "You just look really cute with hay in your hair"

                Fili reached up and ruffled his already shaggy mane, laughing. He kissed her lips before smiling down at her and replying,

                "Well you look as beautiful as you did the first time I saw you"

                "Is that why you wouldn't stop staring?"

                "When a beautiful woman comes running towards me with wild flowers in her hair, I do tend to take notice"

                "Happens often, does it?"

                "Only once in my life"

                Tabitha grinned and peppered his lips with little kisses,

                "This was amazing but I'm afraid we have to get back"

                "Oh come, just once more?"

                "It's been seven 'once more's already!"

                Fili chuckled and kissed her neck. Tabitha moaned softly and whined,

                "You've been talking to Hadley"

                Fili grinned against her skin and whispered,

                "Once more"

                Tabitha reached out and pulled his face up to hers,

                "You, Fili son of Dis, are a dirty dirty cheater"

                Fili chuckled and kissed her lips lightly,

                "You, Tabitha Sword Singer, are worth being a cheater for"

                With that the two burst into laughter and rolled over in the hay.

 

* * *

 

 

                "They've been gone for a long time"

                Hadley tried to contain her laughter as Bofur spoke with concern.

                "Do ye think we should go lookin' for them?"

                Hadley giggled lightly, "You might not want to do that"

                "Why not?" interjected Dwalin.

                Kili elbowed Hadley in the side and said, "Well, because obviously whatever they're talking about is very private.... and prolific"

                Hadley giggled "It's private alright"

                A voice from the doorway called out "What's private?"

                Tabitha entered the hall, hay falling from her hair with each step. Kili swallowed and looked over at Hadley who was doubled over on the table shaking with her suppressed laughter. Fili followed Tabitha, a smugly satisfied grin on his face. As she walked into the hall, the first thing that stood out to the dwarves was the silver bauble that had found its way back into her hair. Hadley recovered enough to snicker out,

                "Enjoy your talk?"

                Tabitha looked over at her and raised an eyebrow,

                "You're very loud, Hadley. We knew you were there"

                Hadley blinked at Tabitha before shrugging and replying,

                "Okay, so enjoy your romp in the hay?"

                Tabitha crossed her arms and opened her mouth to reply as Fili cut her off,

                "Well I enjoyed it"

                The dwarves began chuckling and throwing bags of coin back and forth. Tabitha watched with an annoyed look on her face. Fili reached up and took her hand, squeezing it softly. She looked down at him for a moment before the annoyed look faded from her face. She smiled softly and squeezed his hand.

                Hadley looked at the two of them and smiled sadly before she noticed the bauble in Tabitha's hair. She blinked for a minute before blurting out,

                "You put the bauble back!"

                Tabitha looked over at the elf and blushed lightly,

                "Uh... well um yeah... I uh...."   

                Fili chuckled softly and wrapped his arm around her waist,

                "I asked her to be my betrothed and she agreed"

                Tabitha turned a bright shade of red as the house filled with cheers. Hadley looked confused for a moment before looking at Tabitha,

                "So you're gonna marry a dwarf?"

                Tabitha looked down at Fili who looked up at her with an expectant smirk. She pointed at him as she replied,

                "I'm gonna marry this dwarf"

                Hadley couldn't contain her "D'aaaaw" followed by "I never thought I'd see the day. Alright"

 

* * *

 

 

                The rest of the days with Beorn passed quickly. Soon they were moving towards the Mirkwood. As Hadley stood at the entrance to the woods she looked up with horror,

                "The trees... they are dying... they're so sick...."

                "Yes," came Gandalf's reply "A great and powerful sickness lies over these woods"

                As he instructs the company to stay on the path, Tabitha stood staring into the darkness of the forest with a knot in her stomach. She could feel a dark and sinister magic radiating off the forest. It filled her with an immense sense of dread. She shifted her weight backwards when a hand took hers,

                "C'mon Tabby!"

                Tabitha turned to see Hadley smiling brightly at her,

                "Nothing for it. It's like pulling off a bandaid. Gotta do it quick"

                Tabitha smiled softly and linked her arm with Hadley's,

                "Well then, let's begin"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA SEX SCENE! Sort of...... HEAVILY IMPLIED SEX SCENE!!!! Also, sorry this chapter is not as long as the last one. -Bear


	5. An Empty Bed and a Lot Anger Issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The company finally reaches Mirkwood however, the girls quickly become separated from their dwarven companions. While Tabitha has a knock-down drag-out with a certain king, Hadley finds herself in close quarters with a certain blonde prince (courtesy of a certain mage).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so there are some out of character parts of this chapter. I don't really care. It's our fanfic and if we want to make certain characters kiss certain other characters then that is what will happen. But we love you demented freaks who appreciate that. You are our precious babies. - Bear

                The company stepped into the sickly forest, and started down the path. Almost immediately the forest air started affecting the company. They were trying to stay on the path but their heads were swimming from the stale air. Hadley walked carefully down the path with Tabitha close behind her, the further they got into the forest the more delirious the company got. After a while every few minutes Tabby began asking Hadley, "Are you sure we are going the right direction? Are we still on the path?" and every time Hadley would answer, "Yes, Tabby we are going the right direction and we are still on the path." Hadley could hear the soft whispers of the dying trees on each side of her. Even as she stumbled through with her swimming head, she could hear the whispers get closer as they would start to stray from the path. She could hear them urging her to move away.

                The heavy feeling in Hadley's chest never left, she wept for the sick trees. She wanted to help them terribly but she didn't know if she could, or how. After what seemed like decades of walking, the girls found themselves suddenly and silently surrounded. Wood elves circled the girls, weapons drawn. Tabitha stepped in front of Hadley drawing her sword clumsily. A blonde elf stepped out with an arrow trained on Tabitha's head and said, "Lay down your sword, woman or I will drop you where you stand" The mage slowly and reluctantly released the hilt of her sword. The elf proclaimed something to his guards in elvish and they began searching the girls, removing all their weapons. Tabitha sneered angrily at them as they took her shield and her relinquished sword from the ground. Gostir heard them say to unarm the pair. He slid from hiding in Hadley's hair down her back and to her thigh where he wrapped himself around her. The elves searched Hadley finding nothing on her - not even Gostir.

                Tabitha then noticed that the two girls were alone. She began to panic and cry out,

                "Fili! Fili! Fili!" Over and over again growing louder and more desperate. The blonde elf glared at the loud human in annoyance. He glanced at Hadley and asked, "What is she doing?" To which Hadley replied desperately, "She is calling for her betrothed. We were not alone, we were with a company of dwarves. We don't know what happened to them! Please we need to find them!" The blue eyed elf looked at Hadley a moment before saying something in a language she did not understand. Then he turned to one of the guards, "Take them to my father" and with that he and another elf turned and went deeper into the forest. Hadley couldn't help herself as she turned and watched the blonde elf leave. Tabby took notice of Hadley as she watched the elf with an almost longing in her eyes.

                The two girls were pulled further along the path they had already been walking for some time. After yet more walking, they crossed a bridge and were pulled through a large gate. They did not stop until they pulled the girls into a large room with a throne in the middle of it. Sitting atop the throne was another blonde haired elf with thick dark eyebrows. The elf rose and moved down in a slow but strangely sultry manner towards the two girls. Hadley looked up at him with large eyes and Tabitha could almost see the drool pooling at her chin. The elf king looked between them for a moment before he spoke in a deep, breathy voice,

                "An elf and a human wandering idly into my kingdom is not something that happens often. On what errand do you find yourselves?"

                Tabitha spoke up, as she assumed Hadley would be too awestruck to speak at the moment,

                "We were passing through on our way to the Laketown on the other side of the forest"

                The king turned his unnaturally blue eyes onto the mage. She felt her heart racing in fear under his critical gaze,

                "And what business do you have in that town?"

                "Our business is our own"

                "Indeed, your business is yours and the company you travelled with"

                Tabitha mentally cursed herself for mentioning the dwarves to the elven guards. She looked away from the king as she replied,

                "If you wish to know their business, you should be asking them"

                "But I am asking you yours"

                "And I am not telling you mine"

                "Then it seems we are at an impasse. Very well, perhaps you will be more cooperative after you've spent some time in our dungeons"

                Hadley blinked and blurted out,

                "You, sir, are a JERK!"

                Tabitha and the King looked over at the sudden outburst. Tabitha blinked for a moment before replying,

                "Thanks, Hadley. Not really helping"

                Hadley shrugged and replied,

                "Well, it's true"

                Tabitha shook her head and turned to look at the king,

                "She make a good point, your eyebrowness"

                Thranduil looked between the two strange girls before waving a hand and instructing his guards to take them away.

 

* * *

 

 

                Tabitha growled as the guards - yet again- dragged her back to her cell. This was her fifth attempt at escaping. As they slammed the door behind her, she ran to it and began cursing at them in elvish. Many were the colorful comments about their mothers. The guards seemed entirely un-phased by the human's vulgarity. Tabitha screamed and kicked the door to the cell before trudging over and throwing herself on the cot. Hadley yelled from across the way,

                "You do realize what the definition of insanity is, right?"

                "Shut up, Hadley"

                "Just don't hurt yourself. I cannot heal you from here"

                Tabitha muttered and wrapped the thin wool blanket around herself,

                "I hate cages"

                "I know"

                "No, I mean I REALLY fucking hate cages"

                "I know"

                "You remember that Dixie Chicks song?"

                "Which one?"

                "Wide Open Spaces"

                "Yes"

                "Yeah well that'd be me"

                "Yes, I know"

                "And this is the exact opposite of wide or open"

                "Well, it is a cell"

                "Thank you, captain obvious"

                "Well maybe if you hadn't smarted off to King eyebrows"

                "Well maybe if he spent less time stealing eyebrows and more time minding his own damn business"

                Before Hadley could respond, there was a commotion from the top of the dungeon. The girls moved to the doors of their cells to try and get a better look. After a moment of listening, they realized how familiar the voices were. Hadley exclaimed,

                "OUR DWARF BABIES!"

                Tabitha began yelling Fili's name, somehow thinking that would bring him down to her faster. After a few moments the procession came into view. As the guards pushed the dwarves past her cell, Tabitha searched the faces until she found the one she was searching for,

                "FILI!"

                The golden haired dwarf ran to the cell door, clinging to the bars,

                "Amrâlimê! Are you hurt?!"

                Tabitha placed her hand over his, beaming with relief,

                "I am fine. Are you?"

                "Save for my pride"

                Tabitha smiled warmly for a moment before the guard pulled the dwarf away and shoved him further down the passage. Tabitha frowned and watched him go before a kind voice uttered in passing,

                "Don't worry, lass. We'll get out of this somehow"

                Tabitha turned to see Bofur smiling to her just as he was passing by.

 

* * *

 

               

                It couldn't have been more than an hour before the door to Tabitha's cell opened. She looked up to see the angry dwarf king pushed into her cell. Tabitha made a break for the door, only to be pushed back by the guard,

                "My patience is growing thin, woman. Try to escape one more time, and I will bury something sharp in your gut"

                Tabitha stuck her tongue out before snarking back,

                "Ooh, promise?"

                A yell came from across the way,

                "TABITHA! STOP ANTAGONIZING THE ELVES!"

                To which she replied,

                "ONLY IF THEY STOP SUCKING DICK!"

                The sound of the door slamming forced a cease to the banter as Tabitha realized that she was trapped in a cell with a small bundle of anger. She turned to find the dwarf king glowering at her from the back of the cell. He pushed her aside as Balin began to speak to him. Tabitha turned and flopped onto her cot. She may had been in a cage but she would be damned if she was gonna let Thorin have the top bunk.

                After the conversation, Thorin turned to glower at the human again. Tabitha glared back for a moment before she stated matter-of-factly,

                "Well, looks like we're stuck here together"

                The dwarf king raised an eyebrow and replied,

                "It would appear so"

                Tabitha grinned smugly as she said,

                "Guess that means it's time to get to know the in-laws"

                Thorin glared at her darkly as he replied,

                "Do you really think that you and Fili will be allowed to wed?"

                Tabitha rose from her reclining position and leaned towards him, her own face growing dark,

                "Well, I'll put it to you this way: I'd hate to be the motherfucker that tried to stop us"

                Thorin stepped towards her as if to make himself more menacing as he stated,

                "And what of an heir?"

                "Who the what now?"

                "An heir to the throne of Erebor. Have you not stopped to realize that once the throne is reclaimed, Fili will be the crown prince of the seventh kingdom of dwarves? As such, it will be the responsibility of his wife to produce an heir to the throne."

                Tabitha thought for a minute before she smirked,

                "And what about you, your Bitterness?"

                Thorin moved closer and stared down at her,

                "What _about_ me, woman?"

                Tabitha leaned back against the wall, grinning smugly again,

                "Well, seems to me, that that responsibility falls more on the king than his nephew. I mean, I get it. It must be hard to date with that constant need to prove your dick size but still, it's for the good of your line, right?"

                Thorin leaned forward, placing a hand next to her head as he glared into her eyes,

                "I need to prove nothing. And as far as my heir goes, I need none. I have Fili"

                "Well, see that's where you're wrong. **_I_** have Fili. **_You_** , have an empty bed and a lot of anger issues"

                Thorin narrowed his eyes at her,

                "Does you childish selfishness know no bounds?"

                Tabitha leaned forward a bit, still grinning,

                "I got nothing to prove to anybody, little king. You can hate me all you want. I'm not scared of you. If you wanna have a cage match, well you're in luck. The elves have been generous enough to supply us... with a cage"

                She chirped the last part, fairly proud of herself. Thorin searched her face for a moment before moving his free hand up to her throat,

                "Do you really wish to fight me, woman? That could be arranged"

                Tabitha reached up and gripped his wrist tightly,

                "No," she hissed sarcastically, "I want to fuck you"

                The king smirked and smashed his lips against hers. Tabitha's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as the king viciously assaulted her mouth. After a moment, he pulled away, a malicious smirk on his face,

                "That, too, could be arranged"

                He pulled away leaving Tabitha speechless. The king rumbled with a chuckle at the sight of the human mage FINALLY disarmed of her blade like tongue. After a few moments, Tabitha reached up and placed her hand over her mouth and muttered,

                “Fili is gonna kill you”

                “He of all people will understand the need to stop you from talking”

                “Then I’m gonna kill you”

                “You know where to find me”

                “Contentious little ass”

                “Petulant harpy”

 

* * *

 

 

                While the events unfolded between Thorin and Tabitha, without Tabby keeping her mind distracted with the banter, things really set in for the elf and panic started to grip her. The girl started muttering to herself,

                "Shit, shit, shit, shit. Oh this is bad, this is bad. What are we going to do?" Hadley started to pace in the cell, back and forth over and over until her breathing quickened and she started to hyperventilate. She sat down on the little cot and began to rock back and forth as she was gripped with a sudden and violent panic attack. She became exhausted rather quickly and laid down. Gostir curled up on Hadley's stomach trying to comfort her. She wrapped her arm around him and gently stroked his head as she drifted into her thoughts.

                Meanwhile as Tabby recovered from her… encounter with the dwarf king she noticed Hadley freaking out and tried to figure out how to help her calm down. Remembering the look of longing Hadley had while she watched the angry elf from the forest Tabitha felt a mischievous grin spread on her lips. Just as this thought was forming, it seemed that fate gave her its blessing. The young elf lord appeared at the corner of Hadley's cell, looking down at one of the dwarfs. Tabitha began to chuckle ignoring Thorin's inquiries about the evil plan that she was concocting. Tabitha closed her eyes and focused on the image of the elf lord standing in Hadley's cell.

                Legolas started as a golden light momentarily blinded him. When his vision returned he found himself standing in one of the cells. Hadley jumped and squeaked – tumbling off her cot – as the familiar gold light filled her cell. Hadley quickly sprung up off the floor and dusted off her dress, Gostir tumbling off her in the process. Hadley picked him up and held the small dragon to her chest. Legolas reached for his dagger to find the sheath empty. The blonde elf whirled in the cell and looked to the stairs to see all of his weapons laying on the ground where he had been standing. He turned back elf maiden and snapped,

                "Why have you brought me here?! If you think this will serve as ransom for your freedom. You are mistaken." Hadley looked up to the elf lord with wide eyes and then yelled, "TABBY!" The distant reply could be heard "Stop freaking out! I got you a gift. Your welcome!" Hadley put her head into her palm and yelled back,

                "Damnit Tabby! Put him back where you found him!" To which Tabby replied with an over-dramatic "Uh ow, ow! I have a headache I'll do it later!"

                Hadley glared and muttered to herself, "So help me when we get out of here..." The entire time Legolas listened to this exchange in bewilderment and growing amusement. He strode over to the cot and sat down declaring airily,

                "I suppose I'm here until your friend lets me out or one of the guards comes around. I understand her need to punish me but I can not help but wonder what it is _you_ did to her." 

                Hadley turned to face him and grinned awkwardly,

                "Hehe well... y'see um..."

                Legolas smirked barely noticeably in the dark lighting of the cell,

                "You may as well tell me, we've nothing better to do for the moment"

                "Good point. Well, I _may have_ convinced a dwarf to put a betrothal braid in her hair without her knowing"

                The elf lord blinked for a moment before he began to chuckle,

                "Why do you hate her so? Tricking her into marrying such an ugly creature. Would it not be quicker to simply kill her?"

                "I do not _hate_ her. And I never told him to _listen_ to me!"

                Legolas raised an eyebrow,

                "You are a very strange elf. Where do you hail from?"

                "Well, that's another story entirely"

                "Is there anything you CAN tell me simply?"

                "Well, my name's Hadley. That's all I got really"

                The elf lord bowed his head slightly and replied, "I am Legolas, prince of the green wood"

                Hadley blinked at him for a moment, when a voice behind her yelled,

                "QUIT STALLING AND SUCK ON HIS FACE!"

                Hadley spun and screeched across,

                "SHUT UP TABBY!"

                Legolas winced and muttered,

                "You are very loud for an elf"

                Hadley looked over her shoulder and shrugged,

                "Eh, I get that a lot"

                Legolas shook his head and looked out the door,

                "Why does an elf stoop to keeping dwarves as company?"

                "It's complicated"

                "Do you think me too soft-headed to understand?"

                "Well see," she held up the small dragon in her arms, "I'm kind of a dragon tamer. This is Gostir! We're going to... well slay a much bigger dragon"

                Legolas's face darkened as he replied,

                "You mean to awaken the dragon under Erebor?"

                "Well... no. We mean to kill it. But if we could reason with him... that'd be great"

                Legolas stood and stalked over to her, reaching past her to grip the bars of the cell as he looked into her eyes,

                "You will all die in the inferno"

                Hadley turned a deep shade of red but felt her temper flare,

                "At least we got the balls to try!"

                Legolas narrowed his eyes at the she-elf,

                "Do you question my courage, dragon tamer?!"

                She glared up at him her words dripping with sarcasm,

                "Oh, no! You are incredibly brave to hide in the trees like a squirrel!"

                Legolas scoffed and turned,

                "You know nothing of the darkness, elfling"

                Hadley pushed herself off from the door and grabbed his shoulder,

                "You know nothing of love, Prince of the coward woods!"

                Legolas spun and grabbed her shoulders, pushing her back against the door,

                "You dare speak to me of love?! What do you know of love, you CHILD?!"

                Hadley squeaked and stared up at him with wide eyes but did not falter,

                "I know that if you had any in your heart at all, you wouldn't hide in your little trees doing nothing! There are orcs and trolls and all sorts of evil things roaming around out there. There are many people who are completely helpless. Any _prince_ with love in his heart would help those who cannot help themselves. All you know is selfish desire!"

                Legolas stared at the strange elf, unable to believe that he could find wisdom in her words. Legolas was about to respond when a voice behind Hadley exclaimed,

                "Prince Legolas! What are you doing in there?!"

                Legolas looked up to the guard, stunned for a moment before pushing Hadley to the side and declaring,

                "I was interrogating one of the prisoners, but I seem to have accidentally locked myself in," he cast Hadley a strange look, "I am done here. Let me out"

                The guard unlocked the cell and the prince stormed out, casting only a glance behind him before gathering his things from the ground and disappearing up the stairs. Hadley leaned back against the wall of her cell, breathless and red-faced. She barely registered when Tabitha yelled,

                "DID YA KISS 'IM?!"

                Hadley quietly responded, "No. I'm pretty sure he hates me now"

                "Dammit that is the OPPOSITE of what you were supposed to do!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bunny opted out of commenting on this chapter. She's too busy playing with a new toy I gave her. Anyways, more sick and twisted fun to come. -Bear


	6. Kids, Listen to your Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freedom! Sweet sweet freedom! In a small, cramped space... Well this could only go well right? Especially when the girls find themselves riding shotgun with the dwarf brothers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay in chapters guys! We're not getting much feedback and so we've been working on other projects to try and give you guys something else to read as well. Please bare (bear) with us! - Bear
> 
> Sorry for the lack of comment on the last chapter my darlin' readers Bear as let me use a laptop of hers and I was gettin' a feel for it. -Bunny

The girls fell into silence for a time, each contemplating the happenings in her own cell. Tabitha heard poor little Ori inquire despondently,

“We’re never going to reach the mountain, are we?”

Tabitha jumped and squeaked as a voice right beside the door replied,

“Not stuck in there, you’re not!”

Tabitha let out an offended yelp as Thorin pushed her back away from the door. She scoffed and crossed her arms, puffing out her cheeks as she muttered to herself,

“Wasn’t so damn excited about his midget boyfriend when he was macking on me, dammit”

The mage stalked out of the cell and turned just in time for a face to bury itself in her chest. Tabitha’s eyes widened as Fili clung tightly to her, nuzzling his head in between her breasts,

“Amrâlimê!”

“Fili…. Your head is-“

“I know. This is where I live. This is my home now”

Tabitha sighed and pushed him off of her by his forehead,

“I missed you too. However, I cannot walk with your face… there”

Fili beamed up at her as he purred,

“I can think of another place to put my face but that would make it _much_ harder for you to walk”

Tabitha turned bright red and began cursing under her breath. She cursed his stupid sense of humor, his stupid adorable face, and those stupid perfect dimples that she just wanted to kiss. Tabitha managed to return to reality just in time for a hand to come into violent contact with the back of her head,

“That’s for locking me in a cage with the friggin’ PRINCE!”

Tabitha grinned,

“Aw, c’mon Hady! I was helping!”

“That was NOT HELPING!”

“It helped me”

“Shut up, Tabby”

“Love you too!”

The girls bickered in a loud whisper as they crept with the dwarves down the winding stairs. Hadley groaned softly,

“What is it with elves and stairs?!”

“You are an elf”

“I…. only technically!”

Thorin hissed back to the girls,

“Be QUIET!”

Tabitha glared at him and hissed back,

“Shut up, **HOMEWRECKER**!”

Hadley blinked between the two,

“Um… what?”

Before Tabitha could respond, several of the dwarves shushed the two girls. Tabitha and Hadley shared a look before falling into line with the rest of the procession. They reached the bottom level and several of the dwarves began protesting. Tabitha piped up,

“Shut _up_! I couldn’t even make it out through the upper levels by myself! You really think they’re gonna miss _thirteen dwarves_?!”

This silenced the dwarves for a moment as Bilbo instructed them to climb into the barrels and close them. Once again, the dwarves began to argue. Bilbo shot Thorin a pleading look and the dwarf king hissed at his followers,

“Do as he says!”

Tabitha nudged Hadley and whispered in her ear,

“Kids, listen to your mother”

Hadley burst out giggling before scurrying off to find a barrel. Tabitha walked past several barrels looking for an empty one. She jumped when a dwarf popped out of one of the barrels like goddamn whack-a-mole and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her into the barrel with him. Tabitha covered her mouth with both hands to keep from screaming as she glared into a pair of amused blue eyes. When she finally regained the power of speech, Tabitha hissed softly,

“ _Goddammit Fili! You damn near scared me out of my skin!_ ”

Fili chuckled softly and kissed her gently on the lips before whispering softly,

“Apologies, Amrâlimê. Though, you are rather cute when frightened”

Tabitha tried to hold her angry expression but it was pointless. Between his smile in the dim light of the barrel and the sound of his voice in a whisper she couldn't stay mad at him. She could pout, however. Which is exactly what she did as she replied,

“Is there a reason you dragged me into this particular barrel or did you just want to see how ‘cute’ I could be?”

Fili leaned forward in the small space, gently nuzzling her neck,

“I wanted you here with me”

“Well, sweet as that is, Fee, I hardly think escaping is the time to be fooling around”

Despite her words, Tabitha had to bite her lip to prevent a moan from escaping as he peppered kisses silently down her neck. He grinned against her skin and whispered,

“I love it when you call me that”

Tabitha reached up and tangled her fingers in his hair. To be honest, they were positioned perfectly for fooling around in the barrel if they weren't trying to hide. She was sitting with her back against the side of the barrel and he was on his knees sitting between her legs. Fili made her painfully aware of this as he moved one hand up her thigh. The other he brought up to cup her face as he kissed her lips. The sound of the barrel being closed brought them apart for a second as Bilbo scurried by making sure all of the dwarves were secured in their barrels. Fili leaned up and kissed Tabitha’s jaw before whispering,

“Looks like you’re stuck here with me, Kitten”

“However shall we pass the time?”

Fili squeezed her thigh gently and growled quietly, “I've a few ideas”

Tabitha gasped softly as his hand began to roam upward again, this time on the inside of her thigh. Fili paused for a second and felt at her thigh for a moment. Tabitha stopped and looked down at her own leg confusedly for a moment as she whispered,

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Is that… is that the dagger I gave you?”

“…. Shut up”

“It IS!”

“Shut up, Fili”

“Oh you stubborn-“

Tabitha placed a hand over Fili’s mouth and pressed a finger to her lips as the sound of elves talking approached their barrel. Suddenly, the barrel was tipped over onto the side and began rolling. For a few moments, the inside of the barrel was a flurry of limbs and hair. When they were finally brought to a stop and the barrel righted, the two had to take a quick inventory to ensure that all of their parts were still attached. Once that was confirmed, they realized the position they were in. Tabitha turned bright red and Fili stared down at her in complete awe and reverence. Fili was laying on top of Tabitha whose hair had come loose in the commotion. As she laid there staring up at him, her hair fell loose around her face save for the braids he had put in it. Her legs were pushed up against the side of the barrel, with Fili’s legs between them. The slats in the top of the barrel let in streams of light that seemed to hit every aspect of her face perfectly. From Tabitha’s perspective, Fili’s face seemed to be haloed by thin steams of light and a shaggy golden mane. All she could see was golden hair and those blue eyes shining down at her. Fili reached down and cupped her face, kissing her deeply. When he pulled away, he leaned down and breathed the words into her ear “By Mahal, I love you so much” Tabitha inhaled a shuddered breath and reached up with both hands, running her fingers down the sides of his face, “And I love you”

  
  


* * *

 

 

Walking by a few of the barrels Hadley decided on one and climbed into it. She made herself as comfortable as she could in the space with her knees against her chest. She looked down as she felt Gostir remove himself from her hair and squeeze between her knees and chest. Hadley wrapped her arms around the small dragon and whispered, “And now we wait.” The two sat in silence for a few moments before a shadow was cast into the barrel. Hadley looked up to see Kili peeking into the barrel at them. He gave a smile and asked, “Mind if I share, Hady?” Before she could say a thing he took it upon himself to climb on in. Hadley looked over at him, feeling very squished, and said.

“You know it is customary to wait and receive an answer to your question before taking it upon yourself to do the thing that you asked about.” Kili flashed her a grin before replying,

“Oh, come Hady! Since when do you care about customs?”

“Eh, since you’re squeezing into a barrel”

Kili looked her over for a moment before leaning forward a bit, still grinning,

“If I move closer like this, there is more space”

“I think you’re moving in the wrong direction”

Kili reached up and gently brushed her violet curls over her shoulder. He looked up into her eyes, his grin growing soft. His eyes flicked down to her lips and he began to move closer his voice growing low as he inquired softly,

“Are you… sure about that?”

Before Hadley had a chance to respond, a black shape darted up in between them. Hadley blinked at the scene before her. Kili’s eyes were wide as Gostir hung from his nose by his tiny dragon teeth. Kili inhaled and Hadley had to cover his mouth before he could yell out in pain. Once Hadley felt it was safe to remove her hand from Kili’s mouth she did so. Kili brought his hand up to his nose looking at Gostir with a glare and whispered, “I hate dragons.”

Gostir went to bite him again and Hadley quickly grabbed onto him and whisper shouted,

“Gostir! No!”

“Bad dorf mama! Bad dorf!”

Kili glared at the dragon and squeezed as far away from Hadley in the barrel as he could fit.

 

* * *

 

  
  


The boat carried the barrel far up the river. When the elves finally unloaded and the dwarves felt it was safe, they began popping out of the barrels. Hadley looked around while Thorin and Bilbo performed a headcount. Hadley called out,

“Where’s Tabby?”

Kili looked around and said,

“Fili’s missing as well…”

All eyes turned to the one unopened barrel and the dwarves began pushing each other towards it, not wanting to be the one to see the contents. In the end, Hadley and Kili had both been pushed to the front of the group. The two exchanged a look of ‘why is it always us?!’ before they reached down and each grabbed a side of the lid. The dwarf and the dragon tamer snatched the lid off the barrel and immediately exclaimed in disgust.

Fili and Tabitha looked up in shock as their tryst was disrupted. Fili threw his hands in the air, removing them from their pleasant position underneath Tabitha’s skirt. Tabitha, on the other hand, did NOT remove her hands from Fili’s exposed chest. She simply glared up at the bright light as though the sun had been the one to rip the roof off of their secret little love nest. Thorin growled out,

“Get dressed both of you! We have to be moving!”

Tabitha snapped back as she climbed out of the barrel,

“SHUT UP HOMEWRECKER!”

Fili followed her out of the barrel as he inquired,

“Why do you call him that?”

Hadley piped up from near the water (where she had been washing her eyes),

“I was wondering about that myself”

Thorin shot Tabitha a warning glare, which she returned as she spat,

“He kissed me”

Fili bristled,

“What?! When?!”

Thorin crossed his arms as Tabitha replied,

“In the dungeon. He pushed me up against a wall and forced a kiss on me”

Fili turned a wrathful glare onto his uncle. Thorin never missed a beat,

“Lad, the only ways to shut her up were to either kiss her or kill her. Figured you would have preferred the former to the latter”

Fili looked thoughtful for a moment before turning to look at Tabitha,

“…. You do talk an awful lo-“

He was cut off by a sharp slap to the cheek. Tabitha turned with a face flushed in rage and stalked off further up the river. The dwarves all stared in shock. Hadley covered her mouth and looked around before muttering to herself,

“This is why everyone needs a tiny dragon….”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think I'm goin' crazy...I am hearin' stuff....send help! -Bunny
> 
> Shush, Bunny. I'm all the help you need. Also sorry this chapter is so short. We'll have more out soon! Send in your feedback guys! We love to hear it and it'll help keep the chapters cranking out! -Bear


	7. Authors note.

Alright guys we are getting reads and kudos but no feedback. Bear and I are happy that our story is being read but we aren't gettin' any comments on anything. So from this point until we get start gettin' some feedback from you guys this story is ON HOLD.  
-Bunny


	8. Naked Thursdays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While attempting to vent her frustrations, Tabitha finds herself in a rather compromising position. A strange but attractive face comes to her rescue, much to Fili's ire. Chaos and hilarity ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I'm REAALLY sorry that this chapter has taken so long to post. We've been waiting for more feedback as well as working on some other projects. There's more I swear. -Bear

Fili stood at the edge of the small camp, staring off into the distance,

“She’s been gone too long”

Hadley scoffed,

“She’s pissed. She’s gonna be gone for a while, dude”

Fili turned back to look at her, concern practically radiating from him,

“This long?! What if something has happened to her? What if she’s hurt?!”

Hadley poked the fish suspended above the fire and sighed,

“Fili, Tabby is a mage. And a pretty powerful one at that. She can take care of herself if anything happens”

Kili dropped another bundle of twigs into the small fire as he interjected,

“I don’t understand why she’s angry. If anyone should be mad, it’s Fili”

Hadley scoffed and looked up at the brunette dwarf,

“So apparently stupid runs in the family”

Kili glared down at her,

“And what’s that supposed to mean?!”

Hadley crossed her arms and sighed,

“Tabitha got pushed up against a wall, practically mouth raped, and then Fili insults her on top of that? Yeah. She’s got every right to be pissed”

Fili reached up and ran his hands through his hair,

“I didn’t…. she….”

He turned and began walking quickly into the distance. Hadley looked up,

“Where ya goin’?”

“To find my bride!”

Hadley looked back at her fish and dropped her cheek into the palm of her hand,

“Have fun with that”

 

* * *

  


Tabitha muttered as she threw another rock into the river. She sighed softly and looked up into the sky. She knew when she went back she would have to apologize for slapping Fili but she would be damned if she was ready to apologize yet. It wasn’t like she was wrong. How could he not be mad?! Thorin had _forced_ a kiss on her and Fili just brushed it off and had the _nerve_ to insult her on top of it. Just thinking about it made her angry all over again. Tabitha shot up from her seat and kicked a nearby fallen tree. Her foot crunched into the wet wood and firmly lodged itself there. Tabitha tugged on her leg, only to find it well and truly stuck. Tabitha sighed and hung her head,

“Wonderful. Just beautiful. Wow could this day get ANY WORSE?!”

The hairs on Tabitha’s neck stood on end at the sound of a bow being drawn back and she muttered,

“Of _course_ you did”

She drew her sword and turned the upper half of her body, holding up her shield. She froze when she saw the man standing there. He was the definition of tall, dark, and handsome. She could see herself burying her hands in his long black hair while she- okay no he was pointing an arrow at her. This was no time to fantasize about how nice it would be to push him up against a wall and ravage him. The man stared her down with sharp eyes as he spoke,

“Who are you?”

“Name’s Tabitha. You?”

“I am Bard of Laketown. Tell me, why is your foot in a tree?”

Tabitha looked to her foot and then back to him,

“Oh, you like it? I thought it went well with my eyes- I’M STUCK!”

Bard stared at her for a moment and she could see him fighting to hold back his laughter. It was a losing fight. She sighed as he lowered his bow and doubled over with laughter. Tabitha sarcastically imitated his laugh before she called over to him,

“Y’know, Mr. Sneaks up on women in the woods, you could help me instead of laughing”

Bard righted himself, still chuckling as he stepped towards her,

“Yes, or I could laugh and then help you”

Tabitha crossed her arms and pouted,

“Yes but that’s not as nice”

Bard kneeled next to her, flashing her as smirk as he replied,

“I never said I was a nice man”

Tabitha couldn’t contain the shiver that ran through her as he said that. Oh, this was bad. This was very bad. He was super attractive and witty and oh this was very _very_ _ **VERY**_ bad! Tabitha squeaked as he grabbed her calf and he chuckled again,

“You are a strange woman. How did you get your foot stuck in a tree?”

“I kicked it”

Bard laughed as he began cutting into the tree around her foot,

“And what did this poor defenseless dead tree ever do to you?”

“It looked at me funny”

Bard gave her leg a tug, causing something to shift a bit. He glanced up at her with a smirk and replied,

“Well, I shall attempt to keep my looks on the less humorous side. I would hate to be next”

Tabitha blushed and scoffed,

“Yeah well… that’s not actually why I kicked the tree”

“Well you certainly had me convinced!”

Tabitha shot him a glare which just drew another smirk from him. She sighed and said,

“My future husband was being an ass”

“Oh well that is sad”

“Right?! I mean that’s really no way to treat the woman who agreed to marry you!”

“Oh I meant that you are betrothed. Truly that is a shame for men everywhere.”

Tabitha blushed deep red as he gave her leg a great tug. It sprang free from the tree and Tabitha stumbled back a bit. She righted herself and began working her foot around in circles as if to test its functionality. She laughed and threw her arms around him,

“THANK YOU!”

Bard chuckled and patted her gently on the back,

“So… your betrothed… you are still certain about that?”

Tabitha laughed and pulled away, slapping him gently on the shoulder. Bard chuckled and reached up, patting her on the head,

“In the future, Tabitha, perhaps you should find a different outlet for your frustrations with your husband”

Tabby scoffed, “Or just kick something besides a dead, rotting tree”

Bard picked up his bow, slinging it over his shoulder as he turned back to her smirking,

“Both would be wiser than risking another incident such as this”

He reached up, placing a finger under her chin as he looked into her eyes and added,

“The next one to find you in such a compromising position might not be as… honorable as I”

Tabitha shuddered and replied,

“Well, thankfully you are a very honorable man… if not a nice one”

He chuckled and ran his thumb gently across her chin and slowly began to move forward,

“I would not say _very_ honorable… even I have limits”

Tabitha inhaled to speak but in a blur, the man suddenly disappeared from in front of her. Tabitha’s eyes widened as she turned to see Bard rolling on the ground with Fili on top of him. There were several loud curses coming from each male. Tabitha just gawked as they attempted to beat each other senseless. Tabitha was so stunned that all she could do was stand there dumbly until a voice behind her exclaimed,

“HOLY SHIT!”

Tabitha spun to see Hadley standing at the tree line. Hadley pointed to the skirmish in front of her and cried,

“WHAT THE HELL?! WHO THE HELL?! TABBY WHAT DID YOU DO?!”

Tabitha looked back at the quarrel and back to Hadley before stuttering out,

“I… I kicked a tree?!”

“AND A RANDOM MAN SUDDENLY POPPED OUT OF IT?! THAT FILI HAD A SUDDEN URGE TO BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF?! WHAT THE HELL TABBY?!”

“I DON’T KNOW! I DON’T KNOW!! WHAT DO I DO?!”

“WELL MAKE _**THAT**_ STOP!”

Tabitha turned and held out her hands. A golden glow formed around the man and the dwarf, ripping them apart from one another and holding them up in the air. Bard looked horrified. Fili was trying to swim his way through the air to continue beating Bard. There was some more commotion behind the girls and the dwarves appeared behind Hadley. Kili saw Fili floating in the air and drew an arrow in his bow, pointing it at Bard. Tabitha turned and snapped at him,

“KILI! DO NOT!”

Kili jumped and lowered his bow as a pair of golden eyes glowed dangerously in his direction. Hadley sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose,

“Okay, so… let’s figure this all out. Tabby?”

“Yes?”

“Who the HELL IS THAT?!”

“Um… his name is Bard… apparently”

“Okay! Good. Now, WHY IS FILI TRYING TO BEAT HIS ASS?!”

“Um… I think he tried to kiss me. Maybe? I don’t know. But it seemed like he was trying to kiss me”

“Were you letting him?”

“…. No? I mean… I wasn’t sure that that was what he was doing! I was about to ask him when my husband appeared!”

The girls were interrupted by Fili yelling at Bard,

“YOU WILL NOT TAKE HER FROM ME, LAKE MAN!”

Bard looked over at Tabitha,

“YOU ARE MARRYING A DWARF?!”

Hadley sighed,

“Tabby, how do you always end up in these situations?”

Tabitha shook her head,

“Lucky I gue-“

Hadley jumped as Tabitha fell face first to the ground, dropping the man and the dwarf. The she-elf kneeled and cried out,

“Tabby?! TABBY?! OH SHIT, TABITHA?!”

Hadley placed a hand on Tabitha and instantly recoiled, crying out in pain. Tabitha’s skin felt like there lava was coursing through her veins. Fili was by the mage’s side in an instant,

“Tabitha?! Amrâlimê?!”

Fili picked Tabby up, ignoring the burn of her skin against his, and carried her over to the water. Kili trotted over to Hadley, taking her hand in his to inspect the palm. There was no actual burn, just the sensation. Kili looked at her with concern,

“Are you alright, Hady?”

Hadley winced a bit,

“I’m fine. But Tabitha…”

The two turned to see steam actually rising from where Fili had taken Tabitha into the water. The dwarf held her tightly to him, gently pouring water onto her face. Bard had moved to stand next to Hadley, staring in awe and horror at the river,

“What… what is happening?”

Hadley looked up and chuckled,

“Welcome to our lives. Strap in, it’s kind of a crazy ride”

Bard looked down at her and blinked,

“I believe that is an understatement beyond description”

Hadley looked him over before replying,

“Oh, honey. You have no idea”

The steam had finally stopped rolling from Tabitha’s body as Fili pulled her from the water, lying her on the shore and kneeling beside of her. His skin was red where it had touched Tabitha’s but he didn’t even notice the pain as he began trying to rouse the mage.

The first thing Tabitha felt was cold air all around her. It felt like she was submerged in ice water. Then she felt a weak warmth near her. Slowly, her eyes opened to see Fili looking down at her. She smiled weakly,

“Hey, stranger”

Fili pulled her to him, clinging tightly to her,

“Amrâlimê! Don’t scare me like that! I thought you were-”

Tabitha chuckled,

“C’mon, Fee. You’re not gonna get rid of me that easy”

Fili pulled away and reached down, gently stroking her cheek,

“Tabby... I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to… I love you. I cherish you more than life itself. I never meant to… to hurt you or upset you with my thoughtless words. Please… please do not leave me…”

Tabby reached up, gently running her fingers over one of his mustache braids,

“What happened to enjoying the moment even if it’s our last?”

“That does not mean I am ready to lose you! Nor does it mean that just any man can kiss you. Your lips belong to me”

Tabitha chuckled, “Tell your uncle that”

“I will”

Tabitha looked up into Fili’s eyes, her eyebrows rising slightly,

“Fili-“

“No! What he did was uncalled for! And I _will_ have words with him over it”

“You gonna try to kick his ass too?”

“I… may have overreacted….”

“May have?”

“Just a bit”

Tabitha giggled softly and leaned up, kissing Fili deeply. The two of them ignored the combined groans of the group standing feet away.

 

* * *

 

  


After about two hours of convincing, begging, and finally bribing, Bard finally agreed to ferry the company to Laketown. As they rode across the waters, Hadley couldn’t take her eyes off of the boatman. As she stared at him, she didn’t even noticed a set of eyes on her.

“Kili, if you stare at her any harder she’s going to catch on fire”

The young dwarf jumped and looked over his shoulder to see Tabitha smiling at him sweetly. Kili sighed and turned back to look at Hadley,

“I just don’t understand… I mean I did everything Fili did for you. How can she have not noticed?”

“Well… No one ever claimed that Hadley was smart. Besides, I already knew I loved Fili,”

She sat beside him and threw an arm around his shoulders as he looked up at her,

“How did you know? I mean besides the singing ghost cat”

Tabby chuckled softly as she replied,

“I don’t think I did at first. I mean I think even with the singing ghost cat I didn’t know for sure”

“So how do you know now?”

Tabby looked over at Kili for a second before sighing softly,

“I know now… because I don’t think I could live without him anymore”

Kili looked over at the elleth and frowned,

“I don’t… I don’t think I could live without her”

Tabby let out a sad chuckle,

“Geez, Kili. You’ve really got it bad”

“Thank you, Captain Obvious”

“Okay it’s really weird when you copy me. You know that, right?”

Kili elbowed her and the two burst into laughter. Kili looked up at Tabitha with that sweet grin of his,

“I am glad you will be my sister, Tabitha. I have never seen my brother as happy as you’ve made him. And you will be an excellent queen”

“Psssh. I’ll be a shit queen. My first decree is naked Thursdays”

“I would follow you to death for that alone”

The two burst out laughing again before a head suddenly appeared on Tabitha’s shoulder,

“And just what is the joke?”

Tabitha reached up and gently ruffled the golden hair,

“Nothing, love. Just discussing my political views”

“Ah! So you told him about Naked Wednesdays?”

“Thursdays”

“Well no one said you had to agree on politics to marry”

The three burst into laughter again and began chattering idly about which day of the week would be the best to spend naked.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who are anti- Hadley/Kili please be patient. There are more forces at work here. -Bear

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first Bunny and Bear fanfic. It's pretty shamelessly fluff fantasizing. We're not sorry.


End file.
